A Turkish prosecutor has launched a case against 80-year-old Turkish actress Nilufer Aydan for ‘offending’ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The actress may face four years and eight months in prison for posting comments offending the Turkish president on social networks, Cumhuriyet reported.

‘Offending the President’ is a crime provided for by Article 299 of the Criminal Code of Turkey, which implies the maximum punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of four years.

Since Erdogan assumed office in 2014, the number of inquests and sentencings under Article 299 has sharply risen.

During the hearings, Aydan refuted the charges brought against her.