Man Sentenced In Turkey For Attempting To Topple Government

Anadolu, the state news agency, said Tuesday that a talent manager in Istanbul was arrested by a court for allegedly trying to topple the government in relation to the 2013 Gezi protests.

Ayse Barim was detained on Friday, and a number of actors and actresses, whom she represented, were summoned to police to give testimony.

Barim is accused of having motivated the artists she represents to join the anti-government protests that sparked in Gezi Park in central Istanbul.

Barim denied the charges and said she went to the protests in 2013 once or twice but did not encourage anyone to take part; local media quoted her as saying to the prosecutor.

The largely peaceful protests in early summer 2013 against a shopping mall construction in Istanbul’s Gezi Park turned into nationwide demonstrations.

The government responded with a harsh crackdown and labelled the protests as an attempted coup.

Barim is also accused of close contact with Gezi trial defendants, including philanthropist Osman Kavala.

Barim had previously been investigated for unfair competition in the Turkish TV sector.

Kavala had been in prison since 2017.

He was sentenced to life in jail for an attempted coup in connection with the Gezi protests.

The European Court of Human Rights, of which Turkey is a party, ordered Kavala’s release.

Turkey rejected enforcing the verdict.

Human rights organisations criticised the Turkish government for politically manipulating the Gezi trial.

NAN