“I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey,”
Brunson said. The pastor, originally from North Carolina, has lived in Turkey
for two decades, leading the Izmir Resurrection Church.
Prosecutors were seeking a 10-year jail term for Brunson on
charges of “Christianization” and acting as “an agent of unconventional
warfare” under the guise of being an evangelical church pastor. The court
sentenced Brunson to three years and one month prison time but decided to
release him due to his manner during the hearings and the time he has already
served in prison.
Brunson was detained for 17 months before being placed on
trial the first time in April of this year. He was accused of working with the
FETO network of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen and the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party to overthrow the Turkish government.
Brunson was caught up in a sweep orchestrated
by Muslim President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was just one of many Christians
who were arrested or deported after the failed coup
attempt in Turkey back in 2016, when 161 were killed.
American Politicians Interceded on Behalf of
Andrew Brunson
Attempts to free Brunson included various American
politicians intervening on his behalf. North Carolina’s Senator Thom
Tillis visited Bruson in prisoner earlier this year. Senator Tillis and Sam
Brownback, U.S. ambassador at large for religious freedoms, also appeared with
Brunson in a second trial that occurred in July. After this trial, the court
went back and forth a time or two before deciding to allow Brunson to leave the
prison but remain under house arrest.
The latest ruling in Brunson’s favor occurs after it
appears relations are warming between the U.S. and Turkey. In August, President
Trump’s administration put pressure on the Turkish government to release
Brunson by doubling
steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey. In September, Edogan and Trump
met while attending the UN General Assembly. After this brief meeting, Erdogan
indicated relations would improve.
The morning of Pastor Brunson was released, President Trump
posted a series of tweets about Brunson’s case.
Working very hard on
Pastor Brunson!
My thoughts and prayers
are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!
PASTOR BRUNSON JUST
RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!
While Brunson was seeking permanent residence in Turkey
before the incident in 2016 that landed him in prison, he will return to the
United States for the immediate future. Before returning, however, Brunson will
need to pay close attention to his safety while he is still in Turkey. CNN
reports Brunson will also need to fly to the U.S. Air Force Base in Rammstein,
Germany, for a medical evaluation before continuing on to the United States.
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