Islamist Style Turkish 'Freedom of the press', 94 journalists critical of gov’t denied permanent press cards.

Islamist Style Turkish 'Freedom of the press', 94 journalists critical of gov’t denied permanent press cards. (TodaysZaman).

Government-led arbitrary practices against journalists critical of the government have entered a new phase after 94 veteran journalists -- many of whom work for the Zaman, Samanyolu, Cihan, Taraf and Bugün media outlets -- were denied permanent press cards, regardless of their eligibility.

The Prime Ministry's Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM) made a highly controversial decision to block a number of journalists from acquiring permanent press cards during a meeting held last December. In spite of authorizing the issuance of press cards for 208 new applicants, the directorate declined to award cards to a number of journalists applying to extend the validity of cards already in their possession.

Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, Zaman Deputy Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Kamış and Cüneyt Özdemir, producer of the 5N 1K news program, were among those denied permanent press cards. Journalists who complete 20 years of service become eligible for permanent press cards, but Dumanlı, Kamış and Özdemir were denied permanent press cards without any reason. Hmmmm....My guess Turkey is going for the bottom place. Read the full story here.