WKU News

Exiled Turkish journalist to speak Oct. 18 at WKU

Friday, October 13th, 2017

WKU’s School of Journalism & Broadcasting and Department of History are co-sponsoring a presentation on Wednesday (Oct. 18) by Abdülhamit Bilici, a Turkish newspaper executive in exile following recent political turmoil.

The Importance of a Free Press - The Story of a Journalist in Exile will begin at 3:30 p.m. in Gary A. Ransdell Hall Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public and is a swipeable event for WKU students.

Bilici will discuss his view that Turkey has been transformed from a model Muslim democracy into an autocracy under Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership resulting in oppression of opposition groups.

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.

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-European Union relations.

Contact: Eric Reed, (270) 745-3842

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