Turkish prosecutors are seeking a maximum one year prison term for a former beauty queen who was stripped of her crown over a social media posting deemed to be "insulting" to the victims of last year's failed coup, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.
FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 file photo, Itir Esen, 18, smiles after being crowned Miss Turkey 2017 in Istanbul. Turkish prosecutors are seeking a maximum one year prison term for former beauty queen Itir Esen, who was stripped of her crown over a social media posting deemed to be "insulting" to the victims of last year's failed coup, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday Dec. 7, 2017. (AP Photo, File)
Prosecutors in Istanbul have charged 18-year-old Itir Esen with "overtly insulting a section of the public" for a remark she posted on Twitter as the country held memorials on the anniversary of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, the agency reported.
Esen was stripped of her Miss Turkey 2017 title a day after the competition in September when the tweet came to light. The model and university student denies any intent to insult.
Turkish media reported that the tweet, which has since been erased, said: "I got my period on the morning of the July 15 martyrs' day. I'm marking the day by bleeding as a representation of the martyrs' blood."
The posting caused uproar on social media.
A court must accept the indictment before a trial date is set.
Runner-up Asli Sumen was given the title and represented Turkey at the Miss World competition in China.