Some of those denied accreditation are from outlets that have been critical of authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart on Thursday said the alliance “relies on the host nation to provide assessments on journalists from their country.” NATO is “in contact with Turkish authorities on accreditation,” she said, adding: “It is very important for NATO that media can attend major events in person.”
But campaigners accuse the alliance of shirking its responsibility.
“Although NATO relies on host-nation assessments, this does not absolve the alliance of its responsibility to maintain its own standards,” said Kaspar. “Every rejected journalist deserves a clear, specific and transparent reason for their denial.”
The IPI on Friday sent a letter alongside 14 press freedom organizations to NATO chief Mark Rutte, calling on the alliance to reconsider the accreditations.
“If host governments can effectively exclude journalists from international media events, that should … be stated openly,” said Işın Eliçin, a journalist at the independent outlet Halk TV whose accreditation was denied.