Talent manager Ayşe Barım appeared before the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court on 7 July for the first hearing in a case that accuses her of helping to overthrow the Turkish government during the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Prosecutors have charged Barım with “aiding an attempt to dismantle the government” and are seeking a prison term of 22 years six months to 30 years. She has been held since late January. According to the 171-page indictment, Barım allegedly used her company, ID İletişim, to encourage actors under her management to join the demonstrations and amplified protest slogans on social media. The document cites phone records that show limited contacts with Gezi defendants Mehmet Ali Alabora, Osman Kavala and Çiğdem Mater during the protest period. Barım rejected the accusations, telling the court she visited Gezi Park only once because some of her clients were already there and that the performers attended of their own accord. The 48-year-old said she is suffering from multiple heart conditions and a brain aneurysm, arguing that continued detention endangers her health. A number of high-profile actors, including Hande Erçel, Serenay Sarıkaya, Halit Ergenç and Bergüzar Korel, watched proceedings from the public gallery. The panel of judges ruled to keep Barım behind bars pending trial and postponed the case to 1 October 2025. It also issued compulsory summonses for 12 potential witnesses, among them several well-known actors and a journalist. The decision means Barım will remain in pre-trial detention while the court gathers additional testimony and medical reports.