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Woman Arrested 'For Sharing Photos From Amsterdam's Sex Museum'

Woman Arrested 'For Sharing Photos From Amsterdam's Sex Museum'

She says she has been summoned to court on charges relating to obscenity

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A Turkish influencer says she was arrested for posting photos from Amsterdam's Sex Museum.

Merve Taskin, 23, posted snaps of some sex toys she'd bought at the museum while on a trip to Amsterdam in January 2020.

Taskin, who has more than 570,000 followers on Instagram, says she was arrested a few months later in Turkey and has now been summoned to court to face obscenity charges.

Instagram/@tasskinmerve

Turkey has strict laws regarding sharing 'obscene content', with anyone found guilty of publishing such material facing up to three years in jail.

Speaking to the BBC, Taskin said: "My purpose was to make jokes."

Taskin shared photos of objects on sale at the museum, including penis-shaped pasta.

Once back in Turkey, Taskin says she was arrested twice and gave a statement to the prosecutor.

After giving the statement, Taskin considered the matter closed, but earlier this year she was sent a text message telling her she would need to appear in court in Istanbul.

Taskin showed the BBC the message, which says she is due to appear in court on 26 October for violating Article 226 of Turkey's penal code.

Instagram/@tasskinmerve

Article 226 is related to a number of crimes relating to obscene material.

Taskin told Het Parool: "I gave my statement to the police. I thought it was over but months later I was arrested again. This was during my vacation in Canakkale. I was held for one night and I gave prosecutors a statement about the posts. He said after I was free to go."

She added: "I don't want to go to jail for a photo."

She told the BBC she will attend court, but admitted to feeling 'afraid'.

She tweeted about the case last week, which has picked up media interest in the case.

The director of the Sex Museum, Monique van Marle, told the BBC the incident was 'absolutely ridiculous'.

She went on to say the museum had sent a message to Taskin in which they called her a 'great role model'.

The message read: "Our museum is intended to educate people all around the world about the history of sex. We admire you for expressing yourself and posting such pictures."

LADbible has approached the Turkish Embassy for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@tasskinmerve

Topics: World News, Turkey