German justice minister demands investigation into G20 exclusion of journalists

German Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas on Thursday demanded a full investigation of the revocation of journalist accreditations for the G20 Hamburg summit.

The German government revoked the accreditations of 32 journalists for the G20 summit in Hamburg based on security concerns. Police officers received lists of persons who would not be granted access to the press areas. The event sparked concerns over press freedom in Germany.

"Freedom of the press is a very great value. This is why the allegations have to be thoroughly investigated now," Maas told German newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung Thursday.

The press secretary of the Chancellor's office Steffen Seibert previously defended the practice, citing "very serious security concerns" and "a re-evaluation of the security situation in general".

As head of the German governmental press agency, Seibert said he could not ignore the urgent recommendation brought to him by security agencies.

The accreditations were revoked based on an assessment by the federal office for the protection of the constitution, according to information obtained by German national broadcaster rbb.

Only four of the 32 journalists warranted serious concerns, while the other 28 were excluded from the press area because the group accreditations they received did not serve as individual identification, rbb reported.

A Federal Ministry of the Interior representative did not elaborate on the type of security concerns. "It was about criminal offenses by different persons, including significant crimes," he said without giving further details.

At least four of the blacklisted journalists had previously worked in Kurdish regions of Turkey, which raised suspicion in German media and political opposition that the Turkish government had influenced the decision. Seibert denied the accusation.

The Federal Criminal Police revoked the journalists' accreditation "exclusively based on the knowledge of German security authorities," German Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere told Funke Mediengruppe.

"The only reason for the decision was to ensure the security of the summit and its participants," Maiziere said.

source: xinhua