Turkey's parliament has banned reporters from its lobby area in a move journalists say amounts to censorship.
The move comes at a time when the crisis-racked country is striving to promote a culture of greater openness.
Parliamentary correspondents wore black ribbons on their lapels to protest against the move and said they would boycott parliamentary proceedings until the ban was lifted.
Last week journalists were barred from a corridor where reporters often interview deputies after party meetings or chamber debates, saying the area had become overcrowded. Journalists said it was the first such ban in 20 years, since parliament was reinstated after a 1980 military coup.
"That area is a meeting place for parliamentarians where they should be able to comfortably discuss their work," said deputy speaker Mr Ali Iliksoy. "We are concerned reporters often write things they've overheard that are taken out of context," he added.
The ban comes as parliament hurries sensitive economic legislation that is a precondition for some $10bn in International Monetary Fund and World Bank loans to help the country out of a severe financial crisis.
Mr Ahmet Cakar, a deputy who oversees assembly procedure, said the decision was a response to unfair reporting.
"Recently there has been an all-out propaganda campaign against lawmakers, which is unsettling," Mr Cakar said. "This (ban) is an effort to bring an end to this, he added.
But the new rule could appear to fly in the face of Ankara's recent pledges to govern more transparently, a significant element in reforms vital to winning foreign backing.
Turkey's Western allies have said corruption and a lack of transparency have contributed to financial crisis and have helped block reform efforts crucial to overcoming upheaval.
"We see this as censorship," said Mr Kemal Saydamer, head of the Parliamentary Correspondents Association.
Two key laws on banking and privatisation, seen as vital for economic recovery, were to be debated in parliament this week. Mr Saydamer said the press would not cover those procedures, or parliament's other activities, until the ban was lifted.
Parliamentary deputies have been widely criticised for past sluggishness in debating and passing legislation essential for the country's fight against inflation. Some have also been accused of sacrificing national interests for party goals.
Parliament's reputation was darkened earlier this year after an opposition lawmaker was hit over the head in a brawl inside parliament during debate over economic reforms. He later died of a heart attack.