Ayşe Barım, a well-known manager of Turkish television stars who has been charged with “attempting to overthrow the government” due to her alleged role in the anti-government Gezi Park protests, will appear before a court on July 7, the private DHA news agency reported.
Barım was arrested in January on allegations dating to 2013, when protests erupted over the government’s urbanization plans for Gezi Park in İstanbul, sparking a wave of demonstrations against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was prime minister at the time.
Prosecutors accused her of “pushing” her actors to take part in the anti-government demonstrations, a claim she denies.
A 171-page indictment, accusing her of “attempting to overthrow the government,” has been accepted by the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court, which set the date for the first hearing of her trial on July 7.
Barım faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
The İstanbul 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.
The investigation into Barım came more than a decade after the Gezi Park protests. Turkish authorities have repeatedly revisited the demonstrations in legal proceedings, targeting activists, opposition figures and businesspeople.
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.
Barım has denied all the allegations against her.