Kerim Balci, a journalist and academic from Turkey, spoke about the evolution of freedom of expression in the Middle East Tuesday in Talley Student Union. The event was sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ lecture series. 

“The main message I am trying to spread, particularly in Western countries, is that things are not as good as what many people may imagine in my country,” Balci said. 

Balci spoke about the corruption present in the Turkish government as well as its freedom of the press. 

“The Turkish media, I can say, was quite free,” Balci said. “I’m not going to say as free as the American media, but was quite free compared to the past.” 

After Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s current president, took over, Balci said he began acting like a dictator and wanted more control. He changed the system, and there were no checks-and-balances the way there are in the United States, according to Balci. 

“Under those conditions, the media became the only free opposition in the country,” Balci said. “The parliament was not doing its job, the judiciary was not doing its job, so the media was the only feasible opposition to the president. We started to change our position from a supporting newspaper into an opposition newspaper, and that started the victimization.” 

Balci described his experience working as a journalist for the largest newspaper in Turkey. He said that because of the Turkish government’s control over many of the businesses that supported his newspaper, Balci’s paper faced the threat of bankruptcy many times. 

Balci said the few small businesses that would try to support the journalism industry ended up receiving threats from the Turkish government, and ultimately had to revoke their support. 

Balci said there are only about 100 journalists who are willing to speak out on this issue, and many of them are being arrested in Turkey, including a close friend of his. Balci said his friend has been in jail for more than a year and that his case has never been reviewed by the judicial system. 

“I could either stay outside the country and spread my message or I could sit in jail and do nothing,” Balci said. “As a journalist, it sounds more clever to stay outside the country and at least continue the fight.”

Balci hopes that the U.S., an ally of Turkey, will apply pressure on the Turkish government to allow more freedom of the press and freedom of expression and media. Balci said that because the U.S. has invested so much money into bringing democracy to Turkey, it should want to protect its investment.