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Turkey: 12.5-Year Sentence for Agent Accused of Attempting to Overthrow Government

Published February 11, 2026, 14:20
Turkey: 12.5-Year Sentence for Agent Accused of Attempting to Overthrow Government

A court in Istanbul sentenced a well-known actors' agent to 12.5 years in prison on charges of attempting to overthrow the government in connection with the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Ayşe Barım, who denied the charges, was arrested in January 2025 and temporarily released due to health problems, but a new arrest warrant was issued for her. The prosecutor had requested a life sentence. The Gezi protests targeted then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and were violently suppressed. This case is part of a broader effort by the Turkish government to suppress opposition and control society.