Turkish punk band faces jail time for criticizing exams

Think those Not My President shirts caused a stir? In Turkey, you can be arrested for criticizing standardized tests. In an unusual report, a Turkish punk rock band called Deli has been charged for a old song bemoaning the test all Turkish high-schoolers must pass to have a shot at getting into college. According to prosecutors, the song is an insult to the state and thus a crime.

If convicted, the band and its manager face up to 18 months in jail, but could get just a fine or a warning. Turkey, which seeks European Union membership, retains strict limits on expression. The punk song is called "OSYM," the Turkish acronym for the state's student selection and placement centre that decides which students go to university, based on a yearly three-hour multiple-choice exam. A sample of the lyrics:

I have gotten lost, You have ruined my future, I am going to tell you one thing: Shove that exam

Ironically, due to the age of the song, the band members themselves have already passed the exam itself.