Twelve years after the anti-government Gezi Park protests, which posed the greatest challenge to then-prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rule, a well-known celebrity manager has been detained in İstanbul for her alleged involvement in the protests.
Ayşe Barım, the founder and partner of ID Communications, was detained by police on Friday morning and taken to the İstanbul Police Station for interrogation. Authorities also searched her home and office.
Barım, a prominent figure in Turkey’s television and film industry who works with many famous actors, is accused of “attempting to overthrow the Turkish Republic or prevent it from fulfilling its duties” as one of the alleged “organizers” of the protests.
According to a statement from the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is overseeing the investigation, Barım had “intensive communication” with defendants in the Gezi Park trial at the time of the protests. These defendants include businessman Osman Kavala, film producer Çiğdem Mater Utku and actor Memet Ali Alabora.
Both Kavala and Mater, who are currently imprisoned, were convicted of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government due to their alleged roles in the Gezi Park protests, which began in the summer of 2013, sparked by an urban development plan for Gezi Park in central İstanbul and later spread to other cities in Turkey.
Kavala has faced various charges, including espionage, financing the Gezi Park protests and involvement in a failed coup against Erdoğan in 2016. He has been in prison since November 2017. Meanwhile, Alabora fled Turkey after being targeted by pro-government groups and has been living in exile since then.
The prosecutor’s office did not disclose the specific content of the communication between Barım and the other defendants from the Gezi Park case. However, it claimed that Barım discussed issuing a declaration regarding the protests with the others, encouraged the actors affiliated with her company to participate in the Gezi Park protests and actively joined them.
Prosecutors said they have not yet been able to reveal the details of the declaration in question.
Meanwhile, four well-known actors — Halit Ergenç, Dolunay Soysert, Mehmet Günsür and Rıza Kocaoğlu — were summoned by prosecutors on Friday as part of the investigation into Barım due to their connections to her. Media reports said that Günsür and Kocaoğlu were brought to the İstanbul Courthouse by police to testify.
Ergenç and Günsür starred as the leading actors in the Turkish series “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century), which became an international success. This historical fiction series, revolving around life and intrigue during the reign of Suleiman I, also known in the West as Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, has been viewed by millions of people worldwide.
Barım’s detention occurred shortly after she was targeted by certain individuals and pro-government groups for allegedly creating a “monopoly” in the public relations sector, which was said to be against the interests of some actors and a violation of competition rules.
Another investigation was launched into her on January 10, with accusations of “violating the freedom to work or labor” guaranteed in the Turkish Penal Code and “blackmail.” As part of this investigation, well-known figures such as Serenay Sarıkaya, Deniz Işık and theater actor Nedim Saban testified to the prosecutors. Additionally, a travel ban was imposed on Barım on January 13.
There are claims that the allegations against the prominent PR consultant are politically motivated, aimed at discrediting her as part of the Turkish Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) efforts to extend its influence in the arts and culture sector.
President Erdoğan has frequently expressed disappointment that, despite his government’s successes in many areas over the years, it has not managed to establish a strong influence in arts and culture. He has pledged to take measures to change this situation.