An Istanbul court on Monday extended the custody of Ayşe Barım, a prominent talent agent, for her alleged role in the notorious Gezi Park riots in the city more than a decade ago.
Barım is accused of aiding an attempt to overthrow the government, a crime that carries hefty prison terms, just short of a life sentence, under Turkish laws.
She was arrested last January, shortly after she faced another flurry of accusations of monopolizing her sector.
An indictment against Barım says she was in contact with suspects involved in planning the 2013 riots. Those suspects include actor Memet Ali Alabora, as well as Çiğdem Mater and Osman Kavala. Prosecutors say that through her talent management company, Barım organized a social media campaign to incite riots, using social media accounts of celebrities working for her. She was engaged in a flurry of phone calls to organize a protest with the participation of celebrities she represented, seeking to tap their star power to spread the riots that started in Istanbul across the country.
Prosecutors asked for a prison term between 22 and 30 years for Barım, who rejected the allegations at Monday’s hearing. The court adjourned the trial to Oct. 1, ordering a new report on Barım’s health. Barım’s lawyers have claimed that her health deteriorated in prison since her arrest.
Barım claimed she did not instruct her clients to join the riots, and they acted on their own. She also claimed that she was the target of a defamation campaign, referring to monopoly allegations. She also claimed that she was not acquainted with Osman Kavala before the riots.
On May 31, 2013, Turkish police intervened in what began as a peaceful protest against the redevelopment of the titular park adjacent to Taksim Square at the heart of Istanbul. What followed were nationwide riots that led to the torching of cars, public property and injuries in a matter of a few days.
The 2013 riots were the work of terrorist groups, the PKK and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), along with fringe factions linked to them. Portrayed as Arab Spring-style riots in the Western media, protesters garnered support even among moderate critics of the government despite their utter violence.