Social media influencer and content creator Merve Taşkın has been placed under house arrest following her detention over a Valentine’s Day post deemed "obscene" by authorities.
Taşkın, who was taken into custody on Feb 14 by the vice squad of İstanbul police, was referred to a court a day later and eventually placed under house arrest as a judicial control measure.
Taşkın later shared her experience on social media, expressing disbelief over what had happened. “What did I go through? I was taken from my home and brought to the İstanbul Security Directorate in Gayrettepe, where I gave my statement. The officers were very polite, and I thank them for that,” she wrote. “My phone was confiscated—I don’t know when I’ll get it back. After my statement, I spent a night in a cold, airless, and not-so-hygienic holding cell. I was freezing.”
She said she was transferred the next day to Çağlayan Courthouse, where she was questioned by a prosecutor. “The prosecutor was friendly and warm, but then he caught me off guard and requested my arrest. I wasn’t expecting that at all."
Taşkın added that she then appeared before a judge, who ruled for house arrest. “I don’t know how long this will last,” she said, adding, “Can someone please tell me this is a joke and none of it is real?”
Taşkın's Feb 12 post subject to the accusations read, "I can be your girlfriend for a 'dinner' on Feb 14 if you're spending it alone."
She wrote she would charge 400,000 Turkish liras (~11,000 US dollars) for the date.
14 subatta yalniz olanlara “aksam yemegi” icin kiz arkadas olabilirim
— Merve Taşkın (@mervetasskin) February 12, 2025
-Ucret: 400.000₺
-Ozelliklerim:
1-) Konuskanim, bolca sohbet edebiliriz
2-) Guzelim, disariya benimle iyi bir imaj olusturabilirsin
3-) Turkiyede taniniyorum, kendi icinde egonu tatmin edebilirsin
4-)…
Previous obscenity charge
Taşkın, who gained fame through content on OnlyFans, had previously faced legal action on obscenity charges after posting photos taken at the Sex Museum in Amsterdam on Instagram in 2020.
The İstanbul 20th Penal Court of First Instance initially sentenced her to five months in prison. However, in Jan 2023, the court ruled that the legal elements of the crime had not been met and acquitted her.
Taşkın was one of several content creators who have faced obscenity charges in Turkey over the past couple of years.
Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code criminalizes the public dissemination of "obscene" content through press and broadcast channels. The law categorizes the offense into two types: obscenity in general, targeting adult audiences and society and obscenity involving minors.
The law does not provide a specific definition of obscene behavior, but it stipulates that individuals who distribute obscene images, writings, or statements via press or broadcast may face prison sentences ranging from six months to three years, along with fines of up to 5,000 days. (TY/VK)
