Artists probed over film condemning impunity in Gezi victim's death

The public prosecutor of the Istanbul Press Offences Bureau summoned the well-known figures, from musicians to actors, who performed on the short film over an alleged “abetment.”

Director Mustafa Altıoklar and actor Levent Üzümcü were the first to testify at Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse, where the artists stressed they took part in the project within the context of social awareness and did not call anyone to action.

Other artists involved in the project, such as musicians Cahit Berkay, Zuhal Olcay and Sevval Sam, activist music group Grup Yorum and famous actor Tarık Akan, are expected to testify in the upcoming days.

The Art Council group shot a short film with the motto “Stop life on March 11 for Berkin,” calling for action on the one-year anniversary of Elvan’s death. The film was also shown during a commemoration ceremony in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood, where Elvan was shot dead.

Elvan was 14 when he was fatally injured by the police and fell into a coma after being struck by a tear gas canister while he was buying bread in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood on June 16, 2013, during the Gezi protests. He turned 15 while unconscious but failed to recover from his injuries and died two months after his birthday, on March 11, 2014.