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Court arrests celebrity manager over alleged role in 2013’s anti-gov’t protests

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An İstanbul court on Monday ruled for the arrest of Ayşe Barım, a well-known celebrity manager who was detained last week for her alleged involvement in the anti-government Gezi Park protests of 2013, which posed a serious challenge to then-prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rule.

Barım, founder and partner of ID Communications, was detained by police on Friday morning and taken to the İstanbul Police Station for questioning. 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.

She was referred to court by prosecutors on Monday afternoon and was subsequently arrested.

According to a statement from the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is overseeing the investigation, Barım had “intensive communications” with defendants in the Gezi Park trial at the time of the protests, including 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 in the Gezi Park case. However, it claimed that Barım discussed issuing a declaration regarding the protests, encouraged the actors affiliated with her company to participate in the Gezi Park protests and took part in them as well herself.

Barım denied the claims in her testimony to the prosecutors, the details of which appeared in the Turkish media. She said she never encouraged the actors to do anything, adding that they have their own ideas and make decisions for themselves.

The celebrity manager complained about an “organized attack” against her on social media that has been going on for three weeks, which she said had wreaked havoc on her health

“I have never taken sides in my entire business career; my focus has always been on doing the best job possible. It’s a pity that I had to experience such manipulation on social media, which has adversely affected my health,” Barım said.

She said she only briefly visited Gezi Park twice at the time of the protests, denying the accusations of organizing the protests and financing them.

When asked about her phone calls with jailed businessman Kavala in 2013, she said their conversations concerned the use of a business center in İstanbul owned by Kavala for the promotion of a film by Turkish-German director Fatih Akın.

Several well-known actors such as Halit Ergenç, Dolunay Soysert, Mehmet Günsür and Rıza Kocaoğlu were also summoned by prosecutors last Friday as part of the investigation into Barım due to their connections to her.

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 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 exert strong influence in arts and culture. He has pledged to take measures to change the situation.

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