Exiled Turkish journalist Abdülhamit Bilici will lead a conversation about the importance of the press in democratic society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Nov. 15.
Presented by the UWM Alumni Association and the Center for International Education, “Free Press and Democracy: An Exiled Editor’s View” will feature Bilici drawing on his personal experiences of government overreach and censorship.
As editor-in-chief of Zaman, Bilici oversaw growth of the nationally and internationally focused publication to a circulation of nearly 650,000, making it Turkey’s largest newspaper. Due to the paper’s criticism of the Justice and Development Party and particularly President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zaman was seized by the government in March 2016 before being permanently shuttered that June.
While Bilici was able to flee the country, many of his colleagues were imprisoned. Since leaving, he has become a strong voice of commentary on Turkey’s ongoing political crisis.
Bilici is a member of the Turkish Journalists Association, the Journalists and Writers Foundation and the World Association of Newspapers. He is also the editor of “Why Turkey?” a book focusing on relations between the European Union and Turkey with perspectives from both sides.
The event will take place in room 250 of the Zelazo Center, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd., from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free but advance registration is required by Friday, Nov. 10.
