RSF chief banned from Turkey

RSF secretary-general Robert Ménard has been banned from entering Turkey, according to the Turkish embassy in Paris. The ban comes after RSF said it wanted to have talks with Turkish civil and military officials and to hold a press conference in Istanbul on 17 May to explain once more why armed forces chief of staff Gen. Huseyn Kivrikoglu had been put on RSF's worldwide list of 38 predators of press freedom. RSF is disappointed by this response, which shows the inability of the Turkish authorities to have dialogue with an independent body. It also shows how far there is to go before Turkey is in step with democratic countries. The ban will not stop RSF criticising the frequent breaches of press freedom in Turkey.