Letter From CPJ to Çavuşoğlu as to Deported Journalists

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Upon international journalist being denied entry to Turkey recently, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has sent a letter to Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Besides Çavuşoğlu, the letter signed by CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon has also been sent to US Ambassador to Turkey John Bass, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini,  Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, European Parliament Turkey Rapporteur Kati Piri, President of European Council Donald Tusk,  European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks and OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic.

Calling on Turkey to elucidate its policies regarding the foreign press and emphasize that its doors are open to the international press, the letter has also been reminded, that also Sputnik News Turkey Chairperson Tural Kerimov, ARD Cairo Bureau Executive Volker Schwenck, photojournalist from Greece Giorgos Moutafis and independent journalist David Lepeska had also been denied entry to Turkey.

Noting “Turkey, like every sovereign country, has the responsibility to protect its borders and secure its safety, yet your Government denying entry to the country for  international journalists violates Article 19 of the European Convention of Human Rights the letter has urged Turkey, as an EU candidate and member of the Council of Europe, to remove all bureaucratic obstacles against international journalists”.

Denial for five journalists in one month

On April 26, Finn writer Taina Niemela residing in Van has been issued to be deported over “espionage activities” allegation.

On April  25, Freelance journalist David Lepeska making reports for international media outlets such as the Guardian, Al Jazeera, Foreign Affairs was denied in Atatürk Airport and sent back to Chicago.

On April 23, Greek photojournalist Giorgos Moutafis working for Bild, Reuters, Time, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, and CNN wasn’t let in Turkey.

On April 20, Sputnik General Directorate of Turkey, Tural Kerimov was denied entrance to Turkey. Kerimov’s press card and residence permit have also been seized.

On April 19, ARD’s Cairo bureau executive Volker Schwenck was deported by being handed a document named “Entry ban”.

Numan Kurtulmuş as to denying journalists entry to the country had stated; “One of the journalists deported last week was not an accredited journalist in Turkey anyway. (EA/DG)