The Istanbul-based actor Barış Atay Mengüllü (born 1981, Wilhelmshaven) is a prominent representative and co-organiser of the Gezi Park demonstrations. On November 22nd 2013 he was arrested by the police due to the “Redhack” file, and held in custody for three days. “Redhack” is a group of young hackers that publicised cases of corruption within the Turkish government. Among other actions, they temporarily crippled the internet sites of 350 police departments. Mengüllü appears regularly on television programs, news broadcasts and political discussions in relation to the protests.
Mengüllü broke off a biology degree to study acting at Yeditepe University. Mengüllü has acted in a range of Turkish TV series such as “Haci” (Pilgrim) and “Şöhret” (Fame) and had supporting roles in the films “Kavuk” (Turbans) and “Zincirbozan“. His breakthrough came with the role “Saffet” in the series “Arka Sıradakiler“ (Back Row).