Media investigation in Gezi Park probe: Prosecutor's office requests broadcast records
In the Gezi Park investigation, which saw the arrest of ID Danışmanlık owner Ayşe Barım, the prosecutor's office has also begun examining media organizations that broadcasted coverage of the 2013 protests. Records of broadcasts from that period have been requested from RTÜK.
12punto
As part of the ongoing investigation into the Gezi Park protests, talent manager Ayşe Barım, founder and partner of ID Danışmanlık Limited Şirketi, was arrested last Friday on charges of “attempting to overthrow the Government of the Republic of Turkey or to prevent it from performing its duties.” Taking a new step in the investigation, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has also placed media organizations under scrutiny for allegedly airing propaganda-style broadcasts during the 2013 protests.
RECORDS REQUESTED
In a letter sent to the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the prosecutor's office noted that broadcasts concerning the Gezi Park protests starting from May 27, 2013, laid the groundwork for the spread of social unrest, and requested that recordings of these broadcasts be added to the investigation file. Following the preparation of the file by RTÜK, it is expected that the individuals responsible for the identified media organizations will be summoned by the prosecutor's office to testify as suspects.
'PERJURY' INVESTIGATION INTO FAMOUS NAMES
Within the scope of the investigation, many celebrities, including Halit Ergenç, Bergüzar Korel, Nehir Erdoğan, Dolunay Soysert, Rıza Kocaoğlu, Mehmet Günsür, Nejat İşler, and Ceyda Düvenci, were questioned as witnesses. In their statements, Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu stated that they did not act under the direction of Ayşe Barım and did not have close relationships with Mehmet Ali Alabora. However, the prosecutor's office has launched a separate investigation into these two individuals for “perjury,” on the grounds that their statements were intended to protect the suspect.