Incident
Türkiye: the presidency's press card system is found restrictive by the country's top administrative court
TürkiyeRSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180
- Credential control
- Stage Pressure
- Reversed
Türkiye's Council of State suspended 2018 rules under which the presidency's Communications Directorate could deny or cancel the yellow and turquoise press cards that let reporters work and enter official buildings, after finding the grounds for denial too broad.123
What happened
Since 2018, Türkiye's presidency, through its Communications Directorate, has controlled the issuance and cancellation of the country's yellow and turquoise press cards, which let journalists enter official buildings and access official information. The rules allowed cancellation for broadly worded reasons, including "diminishing the dignity of the media profession" or acting against national security. On April 1, 2021, Türkiye's Council of State, the country's highest administrative court, suspended the 2018 regulation, finding its grounds for denial and cancellation too broad. By the time of the ruling, staff at the newspaper Evrensel had waited more than two years for replacement cards, journalist Canan Coskun had lost eligibility after moving from print to a digital outlet, and no staff member at Mezopotamya News Agency held a card at all. A journalists' union chair said about 300 journalists were awaiting a decision on reapplications. The presidency said it would keep provisions aimed at journalists it accused of "making propaganda" for "terrorism."123
The Council of State suspended the 2018 regulation in April 2021, but hundreds of journalists' reapplications remained pending.123
What reason was given
Stated justificationThe presidency said of the underlying 2018 rules that "the clauses that prevent those who make propaganda for terrorism and violence from hiding behind the press card were strengthened."2
What changed for reporting
Journalists at outlets including Evrensel and Mezopotamya News Agency were left without valid press cards for years, restricting their access to official buildings and information even after the court's ruling.1
Timeline
2021
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | ordered | President of Türkiye |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Evrensel | outlet | affected |
| Mezopotamya News Agency | outlet | affected |
| Canan Coskun | journalist | affected |
| Fatih Polat | journalist, Evrensel | affected |
| Mehves Evin | journalist | affected |
Sources
- Turkish presidency reintroduces press card controls that court found restrictive
- Court orders stay on changes to press card regulation aiming to make cancellation easier
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- A journalists' union chair said about 300 journalists were awaiting a decision on their card reapplications.
Approximately 300 journalists await evaluation of reapplications, per union chair Gokhan Durmus.
Turkish presidency reintroduces press card controls that court found restrictive, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-06-09.Claim 502, checked 2026-09-22. - The presidency said the rules were strengthened to stop people it accused of terrorism propaganda from holding a press card.
The clauses that prevent those who make propaganda for terrorism and violence from hiding behind the press card were strengthened.
Turkish presidency reintroduces press card controls that court found restrictive, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-06-09.Claim 503, checked 2026-09-22. - Türkiye's Council of State suspended the 2018 press card regulations, finding their grounds for denial too broad.
On April 1, 2021, Turkey's Council of State suspended the 2018 press card regulations.
Turkish presidency reintroduces press card controls that court found restrictive, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-06-09.Claim 1009, checked 2026-09-22.