Munich's Higher Regional Court declined to reserve any courtroom seats to Turkey's media in the hearing of National Socialist Underground, a neo-Nazi cell suspected for the murder of 10 people including 8 with Turkish roots.
The court announced that media accreditations for the hearing on April 17 were arranged according to their application dates, which it claimed to be "objective and untouchable".
A total of 123 journalists have received accreditation, but only 50 have a permanent seat in the courtroom. The others will only be allowed in if a seat becomes available.
"The trial will not just be followed keenly in Turkey. There are also many people from Turkey in Germany who still read Turkish newspapers and watch Turkish television. That's why it's not just desirable, but also important that they have access," Germany's Federal Ombudsman Barbara John told Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the foreign committee of the lower house of the German Parliament, said he would appreciate to see more journalists from Turkey's media since the origins of most victims were Turkish.
Turkish Journalists Union of Europe released a statement to protests the court's decision.
"Whatever reason the court claims, this is a scandal. It adds up to the scandals along with the trial process. We demand the court to take necessary precautions to grant access to Turkish journalists," the statement said. (ÇT/BM)
