A Turkish court on Friday released American pastor Andrew Brunson from more than two years of house arrest in a case criticized by the Trump…
A Turkish court on Friday released American pastor Andrew Brunson from more than two years of house arrest in a case criticized by the Trump administration and that caused a deep rift in U. S.-Turkey relations.
Turkish state-run media reported that the court sentenced Brunson to more than three years in prison on terror-related charges, but released him from house arrest and lifted travel restrictions.
Brunson, a Christian missionary who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, was arrested in 2016 and accused of plotting to overthrow the government of Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He had rejected the allegations.
President Donald Trump had clashed with Erdogan over Brunson’s case – going so far as to slap sanctions and tariffs on Turkey earlier this year to pressure the Turkish leader.
Trump said early Friday that his administration hoped to have him back in the U. S. soon. The president then confirmed Brunson’s release in a subsequent tweet.
“Pastor Brunson just released,” Trump wrote in all caps. “Will be home soon.”
U. S. embassy officials were in attendance at Friday’s hearing in support of Brunson.
Brunson is not the only U. S. citizen detained in Turkey, but he has gained the most attention in part because of his ties to the American evangelical community. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have become personally involved in pressing for his release.
Groups promoting global freedom and protections of Christians applauded Brunson’s release and Trump’s intervention.
“The president has rightly recognized that economic leverage can help bring positive change for human rights and can convey a powerful message of solidarity with oppressed religious minorities, especially persecuted Christians,” said David Curry, president of Open Doors USA. “In this case, it worked and was helpful in the release of an American Christian.”
Brunson, who has family roots in North Carolina, is currently under house arrest with his wife Norine – forbidden from leaving his guarded apartment in Izmir, a city on Turkey’s southwest coast.
Brunson previously served 20 months in a Turkish jail. He could face 35 years in prison if convicted. His supporters have said the charges against him are absurd.
“He is not an armed terrorist trying to overthrow any government,” Brunson’s daughter, Jacqueline Brunson Furnari, said at a July 24 State Department forum on human rights and religious freedom. “… Every single thing in his life is centered on his faith.”
Before his arrest, Andrew Brunson and his wife a tended to a small congregation at their Resurrection Church in Izmir, a city of 4.2 million people that’s nearly twice as large as Houston. They spent years ministering to Christians in a country where Islam is the religion followed by the vast majority of Turks.
More: Andrew Brunson was a missionary in Turkey for 24 years. Now he’s at the center of a crisis
