Ayse Barim, a renowned manager of Turkish television stars, has always steered clear of politics, but that did not help her escape prison on charges of "attempting to overthrow the government".

Barim, put into pre-trial detention on Monday, joined a long list of personalities being prosecuted by the authorities, a move denounced by opposition parties that accuse the government of using the judiciary to intimidate dissidents.

The charges against Barim date back to 2013 when protests started over the government's urbanisation plans of Gezi park in the heart of Istanbul. Prosecutors accuse her of "pushing" her actors to take part in anti-government demos, a claim she denies.

Famous actors including Halit Ergenc, star of the world-famous Turkish series "The Magnificent Century", are also under judicial scrutiny as part of the same probe.

Ergenc was summoned for questioning last Friday.

For Mehmet Esen, actor and former president of the Turkish Film Workers' Union, it is an attempt to put a stranglehold on the cultural sector, one of the few realms not entirely........

© Al Monitor