After the allegations of Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) MP Ahmet Şık on social media concerning battery of spouse and some incidents of corruption with regards to a “senior member of the judiciary” were reported on, İrfan Fidan, the then member of the Court of Cassation’s 12th Penal Chamber, filed a criminal complaint against Evrensel newspaper’s Managing Editor Görkem Kınacı, BirGün newspaper’s News Director Uğur Şahin and birgun.net Managing Editor Uğur Koç. A lawsuit was filed against them for “insult” (as per the Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code / TCK) and “calumny” (Article 267 of the TCK).

At the hearing held on June 22, 2022, Görkem Kınacı, Uğur Şahin and Uğur Koç as well as their lawyers Devrim Avcı, Ülkü Şahin and Ali Deniz Ceylan and İrfan Fidan’s lawyer were present in the courtroom. The lawyers of the journalists requested the acquittal of their clients as the elements of the offense charged were not constituted. The court accepted complainant İrfan Fidan’s lawyer’s request for intervening in the trial. The next hearing will be held on October 12 (June 22).

At the hearing held on October 12, 2022, the prosecutor demanded that the three journalists be acquitted. Fidan’s lawyer requested time. The next hearing will be held on October 19 (October 12).

At the hearing held on October 19, 2022, the court ruled for the acquittal of Kınacı, Şahin and Koç as no definite and credible evidence was found as to the committal of the crimes of “libel” and “insult” by the defendants (October 19).