Prosecutor’s office requests media archive on Gezi protests
ISTANBUL

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has requested Türkiye’s media regulator to provide archival footage and recordings pertaining to the 2013 Gezi Park protests, signaling a potential expansion of an ongoing investigation.
Last month, Ayşe Barım, the head of the country’s leading talent management agency, was arrested on allegations of orchestrating the involvement of actors under her management in protests, during which thousands of people took to the streets to oppose plans to construct a replica of Ottoman barracks in Istanbul's Gezi Park by cutting down trees.
What began as localized demonstrations eventually swelled into a widespread movement against the government.
Several renowned actors, known to have been involved in the demonstrations at the time, have also been summoned to testify.
In an official communiqué addressed to the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the prosecutor's office has called for the compilation and submission of all media records from May 27, 2013, onward that “purportedly facilitated the proliferation of these unlawful demonstrations, propagated their legitimacy and contributed to their escalation into a public security threat,” local media said quoting an official document.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Barım maintained extensive communication with key defendants in the Gezi Park trial, including Osman Kavala, Çiğdem Utku Mater and Memet Ali Alabora.
As a key figure in the representation of numerous high-profile actors, Barım has previously faced scrutiny for allegedly monopolizing the industry.
Claims have surfaced that she systematically marginalized dissenting artists, effectively ostracizing them from the professional landscape — an allegation prosecuted by authorities in a separate case.