Journalists' Association Condemns Turkey's NATO Summit Accreditation Denials

The Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) has strongly condemned Turkey's decision to deny accreditation to several media organizations wishing to cover the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara. The summit is scheduled to take place from July 7th to 8th.

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Security or organizational reasons cannot be a pretext for discrimination among media organizations. The government's exclusionary attitude towards critical and independent media presents a worrying picture for Turkey's democratic standards. We condemn this discriminatory practice against the press and call on the public, international press organizations, and professional bodies to be sensitive to this anti-democratic stance.

In a written statement, ÇGD asserted that justifications based on security or organizational needs are unacceptable excuses for discriminating against media outlets. The association criticized the government's consistent exclusionary approach towards critical and independent media, labeling it a concerning indicator for Turkey's democratic standards.

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The government's discriminatory accreditation policy towards the press for years has now been extended to an international summit. We do not see the timing of these rejection decisions, which come while more than 200 citizens, including our colleagues, are being held in detention under the pretext of the NATO Summit, as a coincidence, and we evaluate it as a reflection of an authoritarian and security-focused mentality that disregards press and expression freedom.

ÇGD highlighted that this discriminatory accreditation policy, which the government has reportedly applied for years, has now extended to an international summit. The association views the timing of these rejections, occurring while over 200 citizens, including journalists, are reportedly held in detention under the guise of the NATO Summit, as no coincidence. They interpret this as a reflection of an authoritarian and security-focused mindset that disregards press and expression freedom.

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The failure to explain the reasons why journalists are excluded shows that arbitrariness and political discrimination have been institutionalized.

The association further argued that the lack of explanation for excluding journalists demonstrates the institutionalization of arbitrariness and political discrimination. This approach, ÇGD stated, not only hinders the public's right to information but also directly harms the principles of transparency and accountability. Denying journalists their professional activities at an international summit is deemed unacceptable.

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This approach, which prevents the public's right to information, directly harms not only press freedom but also the principles of transparency and accountability. Preventing journalists from carrying out their professional activities at an internationally held summit is unacceptable.