After the “Erdoğan Selfie” cover of the Nokta magazine was pulled off the shelves in September 2015, Perihan Mağden, a columnist of the magazine, gave an interview to Tunca Öğreten, who was an editor at diken.com.tr news website at the time. In her interview, Mağden referred to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “like a tiger, an animal with its back against the wall.”
The interview was also published on the website of Yurt newspaper. Afterwards, a lawsuit was filed against Perihan Mağden and Tunca Öğreten as well as the then Yurt newspaper editors Orhan Şahin and Mehmet Çağlar on charge of “Insulting the President of the Republic.”
In their last hearing held at the İstanbul 2nd Penal Court of First Instance (January 10), the court ruled that writer Mağden and journalist Öğreten shall be ordered a judicial fine of 7 thousand Turkish Lira (approx. 1,270 USD) each on charge of “insulting the President.” Journalists Orhan Şahin and Mehmet Çağlar have been acquitted of the charged offence.