The Recent  Turmoil in   Turkey &  The Freedom  of Press

The World Affairs Council Update (A program of Upstate International) and the Atlantic Institute of South Carolina invite you to join an evening program at Hughes Main Library on Tuesday, April 4th at 7pm to discuss the recent turmoil in Turkey, with a particular lens on the essential role of journalism in a democracy. We will be featuring the voice of a prominent newspaper executive, Mr. Abdülhamit Bilici, recently exiled for his political opinions.

When: Tuesday, April 4th at 7:00pm

Where: Hughes Main Library

Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Speaker: Abdülhamit Bilici

Speaker:Abdülhamit Bilici

Abdülhamit Bilici is a Turkish newspaper executive in exile following recent political turmoil and government oppression of the media in Turkey. Before leaving the country, Bilici served as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Zaman Daily, the largest daily newspaper in Turkey. He also was Chief Executive Officer of its English-language version, Today’s Zaman. Bilici also served as general director of Cihan News Agency and as editor of Aksiyon Weekly Magazine.

Starting his career at the Zaman Daily as a correspondent, Bilici worked as an editor at Aksiyon Magazine between 1995-1997, as foreign news editor at Zaman Daily between 1998-2001, as general editor at Zaman Daily between 2002-2008 and as general director of Cihan News Agency and as the editor-in-chief of the Zaman Newspaper and is a columnist for Zaman and Today’s Zaman dailies.
Bilici is an expert on Turkish politics and is widely sought as a speaker on the ongoing political crisis. He is editor of the book Why Turkey? which combines different perspectives on Turkey-EU relations.