Turkey’s Freedom For Journalists Platform (GOP), an umbrella for 94 journalists organizations of the country including AEJ Turkey, protested on Tuesday against the government’s attitude towards foreign reporters saying that the campaign to silence and domesticate the Turkish media was now targeting foreign reporters.
The written statement came following the last incident on Monday, the ban of a U.S. journalist David Lepeska’s entry to Turkey. Seeveral other foreign reporters were banned and deported in the last week.
The GOP statement underlined that some Norwegian, Spanish, British and German journalists were not given work permits, some foreign reporters’ mobile phones and computers were checked at the airport without court decision and some were deported.
“Foreign reporters are also having their share from the narrowing freedom atmosphere” said the statement, pointing out that in recent weeks U.S., Greek, Russian and Dutch reporters were included into the list of journalists who have faced prosecution and been banned from entering Turkey.
The statement ended saying “As GOP, we are deeply worried about the developments and declare our solidarity with our foreign colleagues”.