For almost three decades, Turkey has been in the throes of restoring its image which was besmirched by the movie Midnight Express. The plot outline of the movie reads as follows: “Story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison. Inspired from and dramatized upon a true event.” The movie had so much negative influence that it entered the Babylondictionary as: “name of a movie which describes the horrors of the Turkish prison.” 1

Without a doubt, the movie has riled Turkish people, but most Turks have also reviled the people who made the movie, since its first release in 1978. Very few people at the beginning, in Turkey and elsewhere, however, actually knew whose true experience was the inspiration for the movie. When it became known that it was William (Billy) Hayes who wrote a book to tell his true experience which was then made into this movie, many Turks started to believe that Billy’s mistake was not venial.

Billy Hayes in front of Blue Mosque.

Even though he did not make the movie, Billy has been in a state of self-flagellation because of the pain that Midnight Express inflicted upon Turkey and Turkish people, and he has endeavored to make amends numerous times believing that the movie was neither accurate in how it was inspired from nor how it dramatized upon his true experience, contrary to what the movie’s plot outline indicates. Unfortunately, Billy’s voice, in his own words, has been drowned by the powerful images on the screen.

Having been anxious to exonerate himself for a long time, Billy has finally broken his silence to reverse the damage and to tell people the truth by attending the “2nd Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security” which was held June 14-16, 2007.

In fact, Billy’s dream came true due to the efforts of Mr. Ahmet Ertegun, who believed that Billy was sincere about rectifying significant damage to Turkey. Thus, Mr. Ertegun had always wanted to provide him with a chance to apologize to the Turkish nation. Mr. Ertegun had told Billy numerous times that they should find a way for him to return to Turkey, where he was banned entry for over thirty years, believing that Billy’s apology would be more influential and reach a broader audience if he made it while actually in Turkey. Several attempts, however, yielded no results.

Nevertheless, finally, the opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks before Mr. Ertegun’s death when he gave an interview to Billy in his New York office. In that meeting, Mr. Ertegun advised him that he is an honorary board member of the aforementioned conference and that it could be a good chance for him to go to Turkey and attend this international conference.

Upon his return to California from New York, Billy applied to participate in the conference online at the conference website. Knowing that his entry to the country was restricted, the conference organizers contacted the Turkish Foreign Ministry about this concern. The result of this was remarkable for Billy: he was granted a 7-day visa to visit Turkey.

Billy was euphoric, but equally concerned about his trip to Turkey as he was atop the list of men most hated by Turkish people for over thirty years. He arrived in Istanbul on June 13th. The precariousness of the people’s potential reaction left Billy in a state of unease on the first day of the conference. Only at the end of the second day when he made his apologetic statement before the media was he able to take a deep breath. He was even more relaxed the next day, owing to the enormously positive media coverage of his apology from the Turkish nation. He was amazed by the fact that he was walking on the streets of Istanbul freely and that people were incredibly welcoming. During the remainder of his 7-day trip to Istanbul, Billy visited nostalgic places in Istanbul with exhilaration, noting that he could not get enough of the city which he loved so much and he vowed that he would strive to come back to explore its nooks and crannies.

Billy is currently in the midst of shooting a documentary to describe his true feelings about Turkey and Turkish people. He, however, believes that this is his penultimate endeavor; the last one will be to make a movie that will completely eliminate Turkish people’s vexation, as well as to respond to Midnight Express.

* Turkish Police Captain and PhD. Student at Rutgers University, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies
** Turkish Police Captain and PhD. Student at Columbia University, Department of International and Trans-Cultural Studies


Billy Hayes’ press conference statement:

To the Turkish Nation, My name is Billy Hayes. Thirty years ago, I wrote a book about my experience in a Turkish prison. That book “Midnight Express” was made into a film of the same name. I didn’t write or direct the film, but I must accept my share of responsibility for the damage this film has done. It created a terrible impression of Turkey and the Turkish people that was not fair to them or true to my experience. Before being arrested, I spent much time in Istanbul. I loved the city and made many Turkish friends here. After my arrest, I made friends with other Turkish prisoners and learned to speak Turkish. Prison in any country is not a nice place; it is not supposed to be. But the portrayal of prison and the Turks in the movie was not accurate, and it left the false impression that all Turks were like those in the film. This obviously is not true. There were no “good” Turks in the movie. While some prison guards were brutal, most were just doing a difficult job under difficult circumstances and they treated prisoners in a humane way. There were many other differences between my book and the film. I didn’t kill anyone like what was shown in the film. I didn’t make the terrible courtroom speech calling Turkey a “nation of pigs.” In fact, what I said in court was that if my four year sentence was being extended to thirty years, I couldn’t agree with the court. “All I could do was forgive them.” I have said these statements in various newspapers and TV interviews over the years, but my small voice is drowned out by the powerful images on the screen. I have always wanted to return to Istanbul and to make amends for the wrong that Midnight Express has done. In February 2006, I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Ahmet Ertegun and express my feelings to him. He believed I was sincere in my desire to rectify the damage done by the Midnight Express. He suggested that we do a TV interview, a conversation between him and me, which he would then show to the world. He wanted to bring me back to Turkey. He told me about his scheduled appearance at the 2nd Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security. Unfortunately he died before he could attend. So when the opportunity arose for me to return to Istanbul and tell the world my true feelings, I felt like it was fate. This conference is about cooperation between countries to bring peace to the world. I would like to heal the bridge between me and Turkey. I would like to make amends and show the world a true picture of Turkey and Turkish people…Making these statements at this conference with the world listening, Inshallah, these things will come to pass. Billy Hayes