Turkey criticized for denying opposition journalists access to G-20 summit

ANKARA, Turkey – A Turkish media rights group says Turkey's government is not allowing Turkish opposition media organizations to cover an upcoming G-20 summit.

The independent Press Council said in a statement Tuesday that journalists from the newspapers Sozcu and Zaman have been denied accreditation. It called the government's move "unacceptable."

Turkey is hosting G-20 leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, at a summit meeting near the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya next week.

Opposition journalists are frequently denied access to government press events but it's unusual for them to be refused access to an international event.

Dozens of editors from leading international news organizations have written to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently, expressing concern over deteriorating media freedom in Turkey, including a crackdown on opposition media groups and the arrests of journalists.