Ayşe Barım arrested

The processing of Barım, who was in custody as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into allegations appearing in written and visual media regarding her participation in the Gezi Park-focused events in Taksim, has been completed at the Istanbul Organized Crime Control Branch Directorate.

After undergoing a medical check-up, Barım was brought to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan to have her statement taken.

ARRESTED

Having completed her procedures at the prosecutor's office, Ayşe Barım was referred to the Criminal Judgeship of Peace with a request for her arrest on charges of 'aiding in the attempt to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or to prevent it from performing its duties.' Barım was arrested after giving her statement. It was announced that talent manager Ayşe Barım would be taken to Marmara Prison.

HER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ACCESSED

Ayşe Barım's statement to the prosecutor's office is as follows: 'At the beginning of the Gezi Park protests, in May 2013, no one called me regarding this matter. No one made any request or demand for me to provide financial support or lend my name to establish a coalition. As far as I remember, when the Gezi Park protests first started and I first went there, some of the actors I worked with on the TV series "Muhteşem Yüzyıl" were present. Although I cannot remember exactly, one of them called and said they were leaving the set to go to Gezi Park and wanted to see "what the kids are doing." I said, "I'm coming right away." I went individually. I met them to accompany the actors.'

'I DIDN'T EVEN GET TEAR-GASSED'

As far as I remember, I went to Gezi Park once or twice; I have not been there otherwise. The first time I went, I participated as a spectator while artists were reading poetry. The second time I went, I stayed for a very short time, and I don't remember if I went with someone else. I remember being with artists the second time I went as well. I didn't even get tear-gassed. During the Gezi Park period, my close circle knows me very well; I never went out to the square and made statements with the artists I am close to and work with. I never gave them any direction or suggestion to make such a statement.'

'WE HAD NO WORK WITH THE OTHERS AT THAT TIME'

It is out of the question for me to give instructions to the artists in question. Regarding the footage I was asked about, where many artists took turns reading poetry in Gezi Park; Halit Ergenç, Dolunay Soysert, Rıza Kocaoğlu, and Mehmet Günsür are actors served by the agency. We had no work with the others at that time. I do not know who wrote this text, poem, or manifesto, or who brought it there.'

THE PROSECUTOR'S REFERRAL DOCUMENT REGARDING TALENT MANAGER AYŞE BARIM HAS BEEN ACCESSED

The referral document regarding Ayşe Barım, who manages some of the artists and actors whose arrest was requested on charges of "aiding in the attempt to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey or to prevent it from performing its duties" as part of the Gezi investigation, has been accessed.

The proceedings at the Istanbul Courthouse continue for Ayşe Barım, who was detained as part of the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into allegations appearing in written and visual media regarding her participation in the Gezi Park-focused events in Taksim.

In the referral document sent by the prosecutor's office to the on-duty criminal judgeship of peace as part of the investigation, the Gezi Park-focused events and the subsequent judicial process were described.

In the referral document, it was noted that fugitive Gezi trial defendant Mehmet Ali Alabora played an active role in the actions and ensured the growth and continuation of the events through his statements on social media and within the park.

Emphasizing that the subject and purpose of the investigation were not those who participated in the Gezi Park protests, the document stated that the goal was to uncover all aspects of the organization that aimed to overthrow the current government by directing and using civil society movements and evolving them into violence.

TAPE RECORDINGS WITH ALABORA DETECTED

The document stated that there were 2 tape recordings regarding Barım and Alabora exchanging ideas on whether or not to publish a manifesto within the scope of the Gezi Park events, and the content of this conversation was included.

It was noted that in the tape recording in question, discussions were held between the two regarding whether or not to publish the manifesto, and that it was concluded in the ongoing conversation that the manifesto in question could harm them and should be published when the actions were more active.

The document assessed, "It is clearly understood that they were in search of greater mass participation during the process of the actions evolving in this way."

14 MEETINGS HELD WITH ÇİĞDEM MATER UTKU

According to Barım's HTS records, it was reported that she held 14 meetings with Çiğdem Mater Utku between 2013 and 2014 on the day the Gezi Park events began and on the days they intensified and became mass-scale, and that her first meetings with Alabora coincided with the start date of the Gezi Park events.

The referral document included the following statements:

"It has been determined through open-source research that suspect Emine Ayşe Barım, during the start date range of the Gezi Park events, frequently contacted well-known actors affiliated with her firm, ID İletişim Danışmanlık AŞ, between May 29 and June 2, 2013, with consecutive days and hours: 7 times with Bergüzar Korel, 4 times with Ceyda Düvenci, 10 times with Dolunay Soysert, 12 times with Halit Ergenç, 5 times with Hümeyra Akbay, 1 time with Mehmet Günsur, 2 times with Nehir Erdoğan, 8 times with Selma Ergeç, 2 times with Nejat İşler, and 1 time with Rıza Kocaoğlu via phone calls, and that the suspect herself also participated in the Gezi events with artists affiliated with her own company, attempting to increase the mass scale of the actions."

'BARIM IS THE PERSON CONSULTED AND WHOSE APPROVAL IS SOUGHT' DETERMINATION

The document, which noted that the investigation included the finding that actors affiliated with Barım's talent agency simultaneously participated in the "#HelpTurkey" campaign on social media to portray Turkey as inadequate in the international arena following the forest fires and earthquakes in Turkey in 2021, stated that the suspect's company's activities went beyond their purpose and turned into influence peddling, and that documents labeled #Occupygezi - solidariedade com o poyo Turco (Gezi occupation - solidarity with the Turkish people) were found during the search of the workplace.

The document emphasized that Barım was determined to be a person who shows will, is consulted, and whose approval is sought, in addition to being in direct contact with fugitive defendant Mehmet Ali Alabora, one of the main perpetrators of the Gezi Trial, and Çiğdem Mater Utku.

The document included the assessment that Barım was a guiding and decisive figure who planned, organized, and directed the events in this way, and who provided direction by stating her own decisions after her will was consulted.

The document stated that suspect Barım directed well-known actors affiliated with her own company to the Gezi protests, and that she aimed for greater mass participation by using the actors' recognition and influence in society, and was partially successful in this.

In the referral document, it was noted that although the actors whose statements were taken as "witnesses" in the investigation declared that they participated in the actions of their own free will, they could not explain the content of their intense contacts with Barım during the period when the actions began in a way consistent with the ordinary flow of life.

The document stated that the witness actors had contact contents with Barım during the period when the Gezi events, which were followed and kept on the agenda for days by domestic and foreign public opinion, began to become mass-scale, and that their evasive answers despite being in Gezi Park with Barım during the period of the actions were given with the intention of protecting the suspect.

INVESTIGATION FOR 'PERJURY'

The document stated that a separate investigation was launched against witnesses Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu for the crime of "Perjury" because they declared that they were not in contact with Alabora, one of the perpetrators of the events, during the process, despite having contact with him and having footage of them acting together.

The document requested that Barım's arrest be decided.

On the other hand, the referral document provided information that a separate investigation is being conducted against Ayşe Barım for "unfair competition," "blackmail," "violation of the freedom of work and labor," and "opposition to the Tax Procedure Law" regarding allegations that she caused a monopoly in the sector and removed actors who opposed her from the market.