Miley Cyrus under criminal investigation for twerk stunt with Mexican flag

Pop star Miley Cyrus is under a criminal investigation for desecrating the Mexican flag on stage in Monterrey on September 16, 2014, which is Mexican Independence Day. Pop star Miley Cyrus is under a criminal investigation for desecrating the Mexican flag on stage in Monterrey on September 16, 2014, which is Mexican Independence Day. Photo: Courtesy, Twitter Photo: Courtesy, Twitter Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Miley Cyrus under criminal investigation for twerk stunt with Mexican flag 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

While most people in Mexico were celebrating Diez y Seis de Septiembre, Miley Cyrus was twerking on stage in Monterrey with dancers whipping and rubbing Mexican flags on her butt.

To some of the pop stars' fans, it was just "Miley being Miley," but to Mexican officials in Nuevo Leon, it could be a violation of the country's constitution, which protects "national emblems, the flag and the national anthem."

Cyrus, known for her provocative performances, was wearing a large prosthetic butt during the incident, which occurred on Mexican Independence Day.

A spokesman with the interior ministry told AFP on Wednesday that an official probe was launched Wednesday into the incident at the request of the Nuevo Leon state Congress, according to Raw Story.

The 35-page law protecting national symbols prohibits acts that show "disrespect for the flag and national symbols" and those acts will "be punished according to the seriousness and the condition of the person who commits them," Fusion reported.

A violation of this law can be punishable with fine of up to $1,300 or 36 hours in jail, according to Fusion. If the violation is committed for commercial purposes, the fine can rise to $5,200.

In 2007, Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio was fined $4,000 for appearing in a magazine with a Mexican flag draped around her nude body, Fusion reported.

Francisco Treviño Cabello, a member of the conservative National Action Party, called for the country to sanction Cyrus.

"They are hitting her with the flag, or cleaning her backside. It's a lack of respect," he said, according to Mediaite. "The interior ministry must sanction the singer Miley Cyrus for desecrating the flag."

The spokesman from the interior ministry pointed out that the company that brought Cyrus to Mexico would be sanctioned, not the performer because it is the organizer's responsibility to consent to the performance, according to Raw Story.

kparker@express-news.net

Twitter: @KoltenParker