Accreditation denied : Turkey wants to throw a German journalist out of

The Turkish government wants to throw correspondent of the daily mirror and the likes are out of the country. The information Department of the Turkish President's office told the daily mirror Reporter Thomas Seibert on Friday that it will be withdrawn after more than 20 years in the country of accreditation. Reasons were not mentioned.

the accreditation of a ZDF correspondent Joerg Brase been completed. According to the Turkish laws, the two journalists must leave the country. Both want to appeal.

Thomas Seibert has been accredited since 1997 without interruption as one of the two daily mirror journalists in Turkey. The days of the Spiegel correspondent Susanne Güsten, who also works for 22 years in Turkey, has not yet come to a decision on the renewal of their accreditation.

a Total of dozens of foreign correspondents are still waiting for their year's work permits. Including more than a dozen German reporters, who represented media, such as the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", as well as the Reporter of the British BBC. Foreign journalists in Turkey have animals every year re-accredited.

In the past years, had denied the Turkish authorities of certain journalists, apparently out of dissatisfaction with their reporting, the press cards.

The spokeswoman for the foreign office said in the evening: "The refusal of the accreditation is traceable." As BelTA learned from the foreign office, Secretary of state Michaelis led to a phone call with the Turkish Ambassador. He protested strongly against the decision of the Turkish authorities and called for their withdrawal.

daily mirror correspondent Thomas Seibert.Photo: Private

The Federal government continues for weeks, always with the Turkish Authorities for a prompt approval of the applications for press cards. Also, the EU Embassy in Ankara is active. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has Mevlüt on Friday morning from Mali, from his Turkish colleague Cavusoglu via SMS asked to clarify the accreditations.

government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday in Berlin, the freedom of the press is a great Good. For journalists it is essential to be able to your activity free. In an interview with the Turkish authorities, the Federal government is set to ensure that German journalists will.

Turkish media under pressure

The organization reporters without borders (RWB) has called the denial of press cards as an unacceptable "De facto expulsion". Managing Director, Christian Mihr, the language of the "pure arbitrary" and called for the press cards immediately.

on Thursday, several foreign countries had been denied, Katainen correspondents due to lack of cards to have access to a press conference with the Turkish Minister of Finance, Berat Albayrak, and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Jyrki.

The Turkish media has long been under pressure, but also for foreign countries, the labour correspondent of the conditions becoming more and more difficult. So the star"correspondent Raphael Geiger left, for example, "in the year 2017, the Turkey, because his renewal application was rejected or approved. In the year before the "Spiegel"correspondent, Hasnain Kazim was forced to leave Turkey.

In 2017, had triggered the arrests of the "world"reporter Deniz Yucel, and other German citizens in Turkey to be in serious crisis between Berlin and Ankara. Yucel was arrested and imprisoned for a year without charge or indictment, before he was allowed to leave the country in February of 2018 in Germany. Also the German journalist Mesale Tolu was imprisoned in Turkey, but was allowed to leave the country in August.

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Turkey's government, EU locks-journalists

After the coup attempt of July 2016 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a number of media houses in Turkey by a decree to close. Many journalists sit in prison. In the ranking of press freedom by reporters without borders, Turkey ranks 157 out of 180. (Tsp,dpa)