Fulya Pinarş

We didn't just wake up one morning in an authoritarian system. Of course, it happened very gradually.

Newspapers were taken over or shut down. Journalists were imprisoned or exiled. Even one of my older sisters, who is a journalist, she lost her job.

And it was taken over by a pro-government corporation after it revealed an arms deal that Turkey made. And soon after, many critical journalists were basically pushed out of other newspapers too. So this wasn't just about one newspaper. It was a part of basically a broader pattern of media consolidation and silencing people.

So many of my professors, mentors, colleagues were criminalized while I was still there just for advocating for peace or labor rights or unionization rights. So this wasn't really abstract for me. These were the people who shaped me, who taught me how to think and express myself. And it became clear that I couldn't build a future in Turkey without fearing for my safety or freedom.

So I'm trying to be more careful. You know, at the end of the semester, students usually provide feedback about professors and then your promotion depends on that.

No, I didn't see that coming, honestly. And this was actually the reason why I came to the United States.

I feel quite fragile because I feel like I can't work freely here. It just feels like I'm stuck here.