Independent Turkish journalists barred from NATO summit in Ankara, press freedom groups decry exclusion
Several independent and opposition-leaning Turkish news outlets were denied accreditation for the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara, with the alliance saying it relied on host-country assessments while press freedom groups called the move an affront to democratic values.
Accreditation denials
Multiple independent Turkish media outlets disclosed on Wednesday and Thursday that their accreditation applications for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara had been rejected. Among those excluded are Halk TV, Sozcu TV, Cumhuriyet newspaper, T24 news website, ANKA news agency and Medyascope, outlets viewed as opposition-leaning or independent. Journalists received rejection emails that provided no reason for the decision and offered no avenue for appeal.
NATO's response
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart addressed the controversy in a post on X, stating that for summits held outside the alliance's Brussels headquarters, NATO relies on the host country to assess and approve journalists from that country to ensure access to the meeting site.
We are in contact with Turkish authorities on accreditation for the NATO Summit in Ankara. It is very important for NATO that media can attend major events in person.
Press freedom criticism
The Turkish Journalists' Association condemned the denials, saying the exclusion undermines freedom of information and reporting. The group also argued that NATO itself had violated the principles of democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law emphasised in its founding treaty. Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders, called the accreditation procedure opaque and unacceptable.
We find it difficult to understand why the NATO summit is being made inaccessible to a significant part of the Turkish media through this accreditation procedure.
Broader crackdown ahead of summit
Turkey is implementing wide-ranging security measures in the run-up to the gathering. The Ankara chief prosecutor's office said security forces detained more than 200 people earlier this week on suspicion of links to extremist groups. Opposition parties and media reports said a politician, an academic, a journalist and a prominent LGBTQ activist were among those held. Ankara's governor also banned all public gatherings and demonstrations from June 28 to July 10.
The misuse of terrorism laws to conduct mass arrests and silence people in the run-up to a NATO summit flies in the face of the founding values of the alliance.
Summit context
The July 7-8 summit will bring together leaders from all 32 NATO member states, with US President Donald Trump expected to attend. Turkey has been a member of the alliance since 1952. Turkey ranks 163 out of 180 on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.
