Stars of the series "The Magnificent Century" and "Ezel" appeared in court: what they are accused of
Kyiv • UNN
Halit Ergenç and Rıza Kocaoğlu were convicted of giving false testimony in the Gezi Park protests case. They were sentenced to prison terms, but the execution of the sentence was postponed.
Turkish movie stars Halit Ergenç, who played Sultan Suleiman in the TV series "The Magnificent Century," and Riza Kocaoglu, the hero of the TV series "Ezel," appeared in court for giving false testimony in a case related to the Gezi Park protests. Both actors received prison sentences, but the announcement of the verdict was postponed. This is reported by UNN with reference to Anadolu.
Details
According to the publication, the 24th Criminal Court in Istanbul sentenced famous actors Halit Ergench and Riza Kocaoglu in the case of false testimony in the investigation against manager Ayse Barym. Ergench received 1 year, 10 months and 15 days of imprisonment, and Kocaoglu - 1 year and 8 months.
During the hearing, Ergench insisted on his innocence.
Sincerity is a relative concept, we can pose friendly with many people in different places, or be insincere with those with whom we worked on the same project. One of the things I regret is not filing a counterclaim regarding the publication of my photos at the time. I answered everything I was asked
The judge, taking into account the "respectful attitude" of both defendants during the trial, reduced the terms of punishment. The court also postponed the announcement of the verdict, as Ergench and Kocaoglu had no previous convictions.
In his speech after the verdict, Ergench asked in surprise: "So, I gave false testimony?"
In response, the judge explained that the actors can appeal this decision.
Background
According to the indictment of the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office, Ergench and Kocaoglu, during interrogation as witnesses in the case of the events in Gezi Park, stated that they had no contact with the suspect in the case - actor Mehmet Ali Alabora. However, a report from the HTS database confirmed that during the protests in 2013, Ergench and Alabora actively contacted each other.
There were 12 messages in the form of calls and messages, and especially intensive communication during the period of protests
It is also noted that there is evidence in the case of their presence together at protest rallies, including joint photographs. The prosecutor's office demanded from 2 to 4 years of imprisonment for both actors.