Tolga Stream, the founder and manager of the band publicly known as 'Manifest', appeared before the judge. In his defense, Tolga Stream said, "There was no choreography of a sexual nature at the time of the concert. Some of the girls' movements may have seemed offensive to people, but I do not think they were elements of crime." The court postponed the hearing to March 18, 2027, while deciding to release Stream, for which a prison sentence of 6 months to 3 years was requested for the crime of 'intermediating the publication of obscene publications', with a judicial control measure in the form of a 'ban on going abroad'.
Tolga Stream, who was arrested following the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Smuggling, Narcotics and Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau, and for whom a prison sentence of 6 months to 3 years was requested for the crime of 'intermediating the publication of obscene publications', appeared before the judge for the first time. While the detained defendant Stream and his lawyer attended the hearing held at the Istanbul 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance, some names from the music community also came to the courthouse.
'THE MEMBERS AND I HAVE NO CRIMINAL INTENTION'
In his defense at the hearing, the detained defendant Tolga Stream said, "I have been in prison for 77 days for a crime that I did not commit. I would like to explain with a few examples why I did not commit this crime. I found it unclear on which act the crime of obscenity was based in the indictment. If we are talking about a concert, the role of the producers is to bring the partners together to realize a job. We know the general flow. Just as we do not plan every moment in the concert, it is not possible to know it in advance. I do not think that any action taken at the concert is a criminal element. Still, it is related to the concert." birkaç detay vermek istiyorum. Konser tamamen 18 yaşından büyük bireyler için yapılmıştır. Mekanda izleyiciler arasında 18 yaşından küçük biri yoktur. Konseri 18 yaş üstü olarak tanıtmamızın sebebi, mekanın 18 yaş sınırının bulunmasıdır. Bu mekanla alakalıdır, konserin teması değildir. Ayrıca görüntü paylaşılmamasıyla ilgili net bir ibaremiz vardı. Üçüncü kişilerin paylaştığı görüntüleri biz yaymadık. Bunu, başka kişilerin yaydığı görüntüleri biz yaymışız gibi görünmesin diye söylüyorum. Resmi mecralarımızın hiçbirinde konserle ilgili paylaşım yapılmamıştır. Hatta başkalarınca "We filed a criminal complaint to prevent the shared concert footage from being shared. These show that I have no attitude towards crime. Some of the girls' movements may have seemed offensive to people, but I do not think that the actions in the concert in which the girls in the Manifest group were tried and punished were not planned in advance. The Manifest group is a group that is generally uniting and emphasizes positivity. The members and I have no criminal intent."
WAS RELEASED
The court decided to release Tolga Nakit with a judicial control measure in the form of a 'ban on going abroad' and to send the file to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the preparation of an opinion. The hearing was postponed to March 18, 2027.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment, it was stated that Aktif was the producer and company owner of the Manifest group, that he selected the band members through the Big Five Türkiye competition, and that the concerts and shows were managed through the management company. It was written that Stream, who also carries out the financial transactions of the group, does not only act as a manager, but also determines the content of the shows and manages the commercial strategy. In the indictment, it was stated that the dance figures, stage costumes and shows in the group damaged the sense of decency and modesty of the society, and that the images that could harm the psychological and spiritual development of children were published without any age protection filter. It was noted that Stream took an active role in the planning, financing and broadcasting of the shows in question. In the indictment, it was evaluated that Aktif caused the creation of the group's obscene images and performances and mediated their publication.
