FOX TV reporter not allowed in AKP spokesperson's press conference

"Did Ömer Çelik fear that question?" reads the headline on FOX TV.

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A FOX TV reporter was not allowed in a press conference by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Ömer Çelik yesterday (September 2).

Barış Kaya said during a live broadcast that he was told he wasn't allowed in the hall because of instructions by Çelik.

"We entered the AKP Headquarters. No one had been admitted to the conference hall yet," said the reporter. "Before I went to the hall, the advisor of Çelik came to me. He said, 'We will not be able to take you into the conference hall'. I asked why. He said Çelik gave instructions."

Noting that he is accredited by the AKP and the Presidency, the reporter said, "I have followed all meetings of the AKP and the president. But today, we could not enter the conference hall by the instructions given by Ömer Çelik."

Had he been allowed to attend the meeting, he was going to ask the spokesperson about the recent confessions by a former AKP minister about a 2013 corruption investigation, said Kaya.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey Representative Erol Önderoğlu said it was disrespectful to the public to not allow the reporter to follow the conference.

"We condemn the arbitrariness and believe that it is disrespectful to the public with censorship," he said on Twitter. (HA/VK)