Turkish Journalists Denied NATO Summit Accreditation

Many Turkish journalists, media outlets and unions expressed anger on Thursday after they were denied accreditation to cover a NATO summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara next month.

Among those outlets targeted include the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Halk TV, Sozcu TV, website T24 and others.

These outlets tend to be critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his conservative ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). They also may be associated with left-leaning, secular views as expressed by the opposition Republican People's Party and its founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The summit is slated for July 7 and 8. In a post on X, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the bloc is in "contact with the Turkish authorities" regarding accreditations.

"It is very important for NATO that media can attend major events in person," Hart added.

Press freedom groups decry 'alarming' move by Turkish authorities

Hart's post was met with reactions from perplexed Turkish journalists who were confused why they are being denied accreditation. Press freedom organizations characterized the icing out of the journalists as "alarming."

"The denial of accrediation applications from a large number of media outlets is worrying in terms of press freedom," the Turkish Journalists Association said.

"With this decision, NATO has violated the principles of 'democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law emphasized in its founding treaty," it added.

The Turkish government has not yet commented on the denial of accrediation to the media outlets.

Turkey ranks 163 out of 180 in the Reporters without Borders press freedom index.Crackdowns on the press especially ramped up following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt and the 2013 Gezi Park demonstrations.

Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952. The summit in July will be attended by representatives of all 32 NATO member states, with US President Donald Trump expected to make an appearance.

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez