An Istanbul court sentenced Turkish actor Halit Ergenç to prison. Known worldwide for his roles in highly acclaimed Turkish series, Halit Ergenç and another actor, Rıza Kocaoğlu, were sentenced to two years in jail each after finding them guilty of giving false testimony during the investigation into incidents that occurred during the Gezi Park protests in 2013.
According to media reports and news agencies in Turkey, the perjury charges were brought after both actors were summoned to testify as witnesses before the prosecution in a trial against Ayşe Barım, who has been in preventive detention since January on charges of conspiring to overthrow the elected government of Turkey.
Barım is a well-known manager of big stars in the film, television and entertainment industry in Turkey, who, according to the prosecution, maintained close contacts with key figures behind the Gezi protests, including Turkish businessman Osman Kavala and actor Mehmet Ali Alabora, who fled justice. Prosecutors also allege that Barım ordered the actors and actresses she represented then to publicly support the Gezi protests against the government in 2013.
The indictment filed by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office specifies that the answers given by Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu, when summoned as witnesses in the investigation and asked if they had any relationship with the fugitive Ali Alabora, showed contradictions that raised suspicions. Although both claimed to have no contact with Alabora, prosecutors assert that there were at least a dozen communications between Ergenç and Alabora in the form of messages, which were particularly intense during the Gezi protests.
The prosecutors also maintain that both actors were seen walking alongside Alabora during the period under investigation, for which reason both were charged with perjury in the investigation against Ayşe Barım for the 2013 incidents, requesting a sentence of two years and four months in prison for both actors on charges of ‘false testimony.’
‘We will appeal the sentence,’ says the actor
During the trial, however, Turkish actor Halit Ergenç denied the accusation and claimed he had not given false testimony: “I answered everything I was asked. When I was asked, I said that I had had no contact or meeting. Then I was asked about Ayşe Barım and I said, ‘I don’t know Ayşe Barım well enough to know if she met or saw them,’ ” said Ergenç, who, in the presence of his lawyer, argued that there was no legal basis for the charges against him and requested his acquittal, as did Rıza Kocaoğlu’s lawyer.
Finally, however, the court found both actors guilty and sentenced Halit Ergenç to 2 years and 3 months in prison and Rıza Kocaoğlu to 2 years in prison; but, in view of the respectful attitude shown by both during the trial, the judge decided to reduce the sentence, finally setting it at 1 year, 10 months and 15 days in prison for Ergenç, and 1 year and 8 months in prison for Kocaoğlu. However, both sentences were left suspended unless the convicted persons commit another crime.
Reacting to the sentence, with which he clearly disagreed, Turkish actor Halit Ergenç, known for starring in Turkish series such as ‘A Thousand and One Nights’ (Binbir Gece) and ‘The Magnificent Century’ (Muhteşem Yüzyıl), appeared defiant in court and asked: “So, you’re saying I lied?” After the judge reminded him that he could appeal the court’s decision, Ergenç replied again: “We will appeal.”
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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