Belgian journalist Chris Den Hond denied entry to Turkey

Belgian journalist Chris Den Hond was denied entry into Turkey and deported upon arrival at İstanbul Airport on Mar 16. Hond, who resides in France, had traveled to Turkey to cover Newroz, the Kurdish national holiday.

In a video, Den Hond said Turkish authorities informed him that he was on a blacklist and therefore banned from entering the country. The reason for the ban was his celebration of Kurdish forces' defense of Kobanî, a Kurdish town in northern Syria, against ISIS in 2014, according to the journalist.

Despite this explanation, police did not present any official documents explaining the reason for his deportation, Den Hond said.

Den Hond is journalist and documentary filmmaker whose work primarily focuses on Middle Eastern affairs, including issues concerning Kurds and Palestine. He is also among the editors of the French magazine Orient XXI.

A similar incident occurred in November, when Canadian journalist Neil Hauer was deported from İstanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport. The police had cited Hauer's coverage related to the Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to the journalist. (HA/VK)