Talent manager remains jailed after 1st trial in Gezi Park case
ISTANBUL
An Istanbul court on July 7 ordered that prominent talent manager Ayşe Barım remain jailed pending trial as she stands in her first hearing over her alleged role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
Barım stands accused of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government through the demonstrations, which saw thousands take to the streets to oppose plans to demolish parts of Istanbul’s Gezi Park to build a replica of Ottoman military barracks.
The prominent manager has been imprisoned since January, accused of orchestrating the protests, including allegedly urging the high-profile actors she represented to join. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of up to 30 years against her.
At the July 7 hearing, a number of Türkiye’s most prominent actors — among them Halit Ergenç, Serenay Sarıkaya and Hande Erçel — flocked to the courthouse to show support for Barım.
Her lawyers requested her release on health grounds, citing that she fainted in prison four times within the past month. A medical report dated July 2 revealed she suffers from severe heart conditions and an expanding brain aneurysm with a high risk of rupture.
In court, Barım denied all allegations, stating that her name had never been mentioned in the investigations or lawsuits that followed the Gezi protests 12 years ago and that she is now suddenly facing charges more than a decade later.
She acknowledged the existence of several photos showing her at the protests but stressed that she was wearing the same outfit in all of them because she only attended for one day. She said she was present only in her capacity as a manager accompanying her clients and denied playing a more active role.
“I want my right to live back. I place my right to live in your conscience and sense of justice,” Barım told the judges.
The court ordered her to remain in prison and set the next hearing for Oct. 1.
