The Recent  Turmoil in   Turkey &  The Freedom  of Press

The Columbia World Affairs Council and the Atlantic Institute of South Carolina invite you to join a Luncheon program on Tuesday, April 4th 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 12:00pm

Where: The Palmetto Club 1231 Sumter Street Columbia, SC 29201

Cost: $25 for CWAC and AI members, $35 for nonmembers, and $20 for students.

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.