Barım sentenced to over 12 years in Gezi Park case

ISTANBUL

Prominent talent manager Ayşe Barım was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison on Feb. 11 for allegedly aiding an attempt to overthrow the government.

Barım, owner of the communications company ID İletişim, was arrested on Jan. 27 and spent 248 days in custody. The investigation was launched more than a decade after the 2013 Gezi Park protests, which began as demonstrations against plans to build a replica of Ottoman barracks in Istanbul and escalated into a nationwide movement challenging the government.

Prosecutors had previously sought a 30-year sentence, later seeking to increase it to aggravated life imprisonment. In her defense, Barım said she never took a political stance in her work.

Her lawyers requested a reassessment of the prosecution’s final opinion, but the panel rejected the request. According to prosecutors, Barım “systematically planned” and contributed to spreading the Gezi Park protests through social media and on the ground, allegedly enlisting well-known artists and actors.

The prosecution also alleged that Barım was in contact with actor Mehmet Ali Alabora and filmmaker Çiğdem Mater Utku, both defendants in the main Gezi Park case, and could influence the planning and direction of the events. Witnesses, however, testified that artists and actors participated voluntarily.

The court is expected to deliver its assessment of the prosecution’s aggravated charges at the next hearing.