How was the Gezi Park case, which resurfaced after 12 years, reopened? A fraudster turned out to be behind the tip-off

A new investigation has been launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into certain individuals regarding the Gezi Park protests, for whom no action was taken in 2013, 12 years after the events took place. While talent manager Ayşe Barım is at the center of the investigation, famous actors Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu have also been accused of "perjury" in the file.

According to the report by Cumhuriyet columnist Barış Terkoğlu, the investigation process began with an anonymous tip-off made on January 15, 2025. Less than 9 days after the tip-off, talent manager Ayşe Barım was detained. However, the first police officers to review the file had examined the tip-off in detail and submitted a report stating that "there is no element of crime present." Despite all this, the prosecutor's office launched an investigation. Furthermore, it was determined that the person who made the tip-off had previously been processed for "aggravated fraud."

ACTORS WERE ASKED WHY THEY PARTICIPATED IN GEZI

Within the scope of the investigation, it was alleged that participation in the Gezi protests was provided under the direction of talent manager Ayşe Barım. In this context, Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu were called to testify. The actors were asked whether they participated in the protests of their own volition or under Barım's direction. Their relationships with Mehmet Ali Alabora, who was the president of the Actors' Union at the time, were also questioned.

Cumhuriyet columnist Barış Terkoğlu, in his article titled "They believed the fraudster, not the great Suleiman," wrote about how the Gezi investigation, opened 12 years later, began and the contradictions in the investigation process.

Terkoğlu noted the following:

"Most of the actors' statements are not in the indictment. While the prosecutor's office should also have collected evidence in favor of the defendants, only two are included in the indictment. Instead, it included two testimonies that expressed opinions against Barım but had nothing to do with Gezi. It explained the reason as follows: 'Although the actors declared in their statements that they participated in the actions of their own free will (...) it is clearly understood that their evasive answers were made with the intent to protect the suspect...'"

Even though everyone called said, 'I went on my own,' they could not convince the prosecutor. In the end, a lawsuit was filed against Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu due to their accounts of events from 12 years ago, which I am sure many of them do not remember, and they were given prison sentences.

THE INFORMANT CITIZEN TURNED OUT TO BE A FRAUDSTER

There is more. The 'informant citizen' case we once saw in conspiracy trials. Nine days before Ayşe Barım was detained, on January 15, a strange tip-off arrived. The statement directly targets Ayşe Barım. It starts with 'the unity and integrity of our country' and ends with 'if there is a duty that falls upon me.' Five photos containing allegations against Ayşe Barım from social media were attached to the tip-off. The investigation began with this unidentified informant.

The police worked on the anonymous tip-off for a week. Finally, on January 22, they drew up the following report: 'There is no concrete evidence, information, document, or proof regarding the nature and determination of the crime and criminal elements...'

In other words, the police said, 'There is no crime.' However, despite this, 2 days later, on January 24, Ayşe Barım was detained.

When the trial began, Barım's lawyers asked the court, 'Who is this informant?' The court asked the police... The police reached the identity of the 'informant citizen' through an investigation. The informant, named S.G., turned out to be a partner in a cosmetics company. When looking at his judicial history, it was revealed that he had been processed for aggravated fraud.

As a result, our judiciary said, 'I do not believe it,' while so many actors in the public eye were saying the same thing. It did not even feel the need to put their statements into the indictment. Conversely, it found the anonymous tip-off made by a person with a criminal record for fraud in the police files to be credible and used it as a justification for the investigation. While even the police said, 'There is no crime regarding Barım in that tip-off,' those who touched Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu did not touch the informant."