Saturday, October 13, 2018

US CHRISTIAN PASTOR RELEASED FROM PRISON



US Christian Pastor Released From Prison


by Trey Elmore  •  ChurchMilitant.com  •  October 12, 2018    

Andrew Brunson, father of three, spent two years in Turkish prison

IZMIR, Turkey (ChurchMilitant.com) - U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson is expected to return to the United States within 48 hours after being released from house arrest in Turkey on Friday — this after Brunson was held in prison for two years on charges of espionage and involvement with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Brunson has vigorously denied. Brunson has been out of prison but remained under house arrest since July.
Brunson was convicted on the terror charges Friday morning but was sentenced to time served. Brunson reacted with the words, "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey."
Brunson is a Presbyterian missionary who has lived in Turkey for over 20 years with his wife, Norine, and three children, leading a congregation of two dozen people. He was arrested in October 2016 after a failed coup for which the Turkish government blames the PKK. He was one of 50,000 people arrested in a post-coup crackdown of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the recent tensions between the United States and Turkey, Erdogan suggested a swap of Brunson for Fethullah Gülen, a 77-year-old Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania after moving to the United States in 1999. Gülen is the founder of the movement bearing his name, which Erdogan was seeking to purge during the wave of arrests.

Brunson's release is being hailed as a diplomatic victory for the Trump administration with the president Friday morning tweeting, "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!" President Trump has imposed sanctions and tariffs against Turkey, a U.S. ally, over the pastor's imprisonment. Trump also referred to Brunson as "a great patriot hostage" in an August tweet, in which the president also declared, "We will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man, but we are cutting back on Turkey!"

Following Trump's sanctions, Turkish currency, known as the lira, hit an all-time low as of August. Some have also speculated that Brunson's release is also related to Turkey's strategic interests with respect to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi who disappeared inside the Saudi consulate located in Istanbul. Turkish officials have claimed to possess audio and video proof that Khashoggi was killed.
Friday morning, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a tweet, "Many prayers answered for the family of Pastor Brunson and for all Americans today. Welcome home, Pastor...you've been missed!"

Pastor Brunson's sister Lauren told Fox News, "It's been a roller coaster ride. We've been glued to the news since 10:30 last night," she continued, "I think the most important thing is that God has been faithful to Andrew and he has worked in his heart and in his life."


When asked what she expected for Brunson's return, she said, "I think it's going to be absolutely incredible. He's eager to see his children again. It's been like a nightmare day after day."

Lauren also gave much credit to the American Center for Law and Justice, which lobbied the White House on Brunson's behalf and launched a petition which gained over 600,000 signatures.
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Commissioner Tony Perkins said in a statement regarding the release, "Today's decision by the Turkish government is good news. We celebrate along with the millions of Americans who have been praying for Pastor Brunson's release."
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/us-christian-pastor-released-from-prison
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)