A Turkish celebrity manager accused of playing a role in organizing the 2013 Gezi Park protests was ordered to be released by a court on Saturday, only to be re-arrested hours later after a higher court overturned the ruling at the request of the prosecutor’s office, the T24 news website reported.
Ayşe Barım, a well-known figure in Turkey’s entertainment industry and the founder of ID Communications, was detained on February 14 and later arrested on charges of “attempting to overthrow the government.” Authorities accuse her of encouraging actors under her management to participate in the protests, which began as a demonstration against an urban development project in Istanbul’s Gezi Park but quickly escalated into a nationwide anti-government movement.
Barım’s lawyer appealed her pretrial detention to the Criminal Court of First Instance, which ruled in her favor and ordered her release. However, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office objected to the decision, and the case was sent to a higher court, which sided with prosecutors and overturned the release order, leading to Barım’s re-arrest before she could leave prison.
Her case has sparked widespread criticism, with opposition politicians and human rights advocates arguing that it reflects a broader crackdown on dissent and government control over the entertainment sector.
The investigation into Barım comes more than a decade after the Gezi Park protests, during which thousands of people took to the streets to oppose the government of then-prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Authorities have repeatedly revisited the demonstrations in legal proceedings, targeting activists, opposition figures and businesspeople.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office claims Barım had extensive communications with high-profile figures convicted or accused in previous Gezi-related trials, including philanthropist Osman Kavala, film producer Çiğdem Mater Utku and exiled actor Memet Ali Alabora. Prosecutors allege she played a role in coordinating actors’ involvement in the protests.
Barım has denied all allegations against her.
Her case also reflects an intensifying government crackdown on artists and entertainment industry figures. Actors Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu have reportedly been questioned as part of the same investigation.
Observers see Barım’s arrest as part of a broader effort by Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to control Turkey’s cultural landscape. The government has frequently clashed with artists, writers, and filmmakers over content critical of its policies, with Erdoğan previously expressing frustration that his party has not achieved dominance in Turkey’s cultural sphere despite more than two decades in power.
The arrest has sparked backlash from the entertainment industry, with actors and public figures voicing support for Barım and denouncing what they describe as an attack on artistic freedom.
Opposition politicians have also condemned the case, linking it to the government’s broader efforts to suppress dissent. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key rival to Erdoğan, criticized the judiciary’s handling of the case.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has denounced the case as part of a wider “climate of fear” in Turkey.
Since a failed coup attempt in 2016, Turkish authorities have intensified crackdowns on opposition figures, journalists and civil society leaders. The judiciary has been accused of being used as a political tool to silence dissent, particularly in cases linked to past protests.
In 2022 Kavala was sentenced to life in prison for allegedly financing the Gezi protests, despite a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights stating that his detention was politically motivated. Other defendants in the Gezi trials received lengthy prison terms.
Legal experts have also raised concerns about the charges against Barım, particularly claims of her role as an “agent of influence,” a term that has no clear basis in Turkish law.