ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Journalists must clear out their offices at police departments and leave the buildings, Turkey's National Police Department has ruled.
The ban drew condemnation from several Turkish journalism organizations, Today's Zaman reported Sunday.
In a statement announcing the ban, the NPD said journalists could no longer enter police buildings unless they were invited to a press conference.
Atilla Sertel, head of the Turkey Journalists' Federation said the directive "not only blocks the people's right to information, but also represents direct censorship."
He said no such ban existed even during a three-year period of military rule following a coup that ousted the civilian government in 1980.
Ahmet Abakay, chairman of the Contemporary Journalists Association, said banning journalists from police departments was no different than prohibiting reporters from entering Parliament.
"Following the detainment of the sons of ministers in the graft probe, the government chose to remove many police officers and prosecutors and tried to cover up the truth. This ban is part of this effort," the Turkish Journalists Union said in a statement.
The ban came in the wake of an investigation into bribery and fraud in granting government contracts that has snared dozens of people, including business people and family members of Turkish politicians.
