This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/12/andrew-brunson-release-turkish-court

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Andrew Brunson: Turkish court rules to release US pastor Andrew Brunson: Turkish court rules to release US pastor
(35 minutes later)
A Turkish court has ruled to release the US evangelical Christian pastor at the centre of a bitter diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington, a move that could be the first step towards mending ties between the Nato allies. The American pastor at the centre of a bitter diplomatic rift between Washington DC and Ankara is traveling back to the US after a Turkish court ordered his release following two years in detention.
The court passed a three years and one and a half month sentence on Andrew Brunson, who had been charged with terrorism offences, but said he would not serve any further time because he had already been detained since October 2016. Witnesses in the courtroom in the western town of Izmir said Andrew Brunson wept as the decision was announced on Friday.
Witnesses said Brunson wept as the decision was announced. Before the judge’s ruling, the pastor told the court: “I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey.“ “I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey,” he had earlier told the court.
The case against Brunson, an evangelical preacher from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years and was arrested two years ago, had led to US tariffs against Turkey and drawn condemnation from US president Donald Trump. The surprise release of Brunson – who had been held on terrorism charges related to the failed 2016 military coup – suggests US-Turkey relations are thawing as Ankara seeks US help in investigating the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last week.
Brunson was charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gülen, the cleric blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson denied the accusation and Washington had demanded his immediate release. After the ruling, Donald Trump – who has made the case a foreign policy priority – wrote on Twitter that his “thoughts and prayers” were with Brunson, before posting in an all-caps tweet that the US pastor would be home soon.
Earlier, witnesses told the court that testimonies attributed to them against the pastor were inaccurate, heightening expectations that Brunson could be released and returned to the United States. PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!
Brunson appeared in the courtroom in the western coastal town of Aliaga wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie. His wife Norine looked on from the visitors’ seating area as he listened to testimony from defence and prosecution witnesses. Brunson was convicted of terrorism charges and sentenced to three years and one and a half months, but the court took time served into account and the remainder of his sentence was suspended. The interim panel of judges also lifted judicial control provisions, leaving Brunson free to travel outside Turkey.
“I do not understand how this is related to me,” Brunson said after the judge questioned one of a series of witnesses. He said the judge was asking the witness about incidents Brunson was not involved in. “The fact that he is now on a plane to the United States can only be viewed as a significant victory for Pastor Brunson and his family,” said his lawyer, Jay Sekulow, who is also a member of Trump’s legal team.
“We’re grateful to the president, members of Congress and diplomatic leaders who continued to put pressure on Turkey to secure the freedom of Pastor Brunson.”
US media reported on Thursday that Brunson’s freedom had been negotiated as part of a secret deal between Ankara and Washington which would lift like-for-like sanctions that have sent the Turkish lira plummeting.
Vice-president Mike Pence said the evening before the hearing he was “hopeful” of Brunson’s release, but denied the existence of any deal.
Brunson, who was moved from prison to house arrest for health reasons in July, appeared in court for the fourth time to face allegations of links to the outlawed Kurdish separatist PKK, as well as the religious Gülenist movement, which Turkey says was behind the failed 2016 military coup.
During the six-hour-long proceedings witnesses called for the prosecution backtracked or contradicted their previous testimony regarding Brunson’s alleged crimes. The prosecutor also revised down earlier calls for a 35-year jail sentence to 10 years.
The 50-year-old, who has lived in Turkey since the mid-1990s, is one of an estimated 50,000 people caught up in a crackdown on opposition launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a bid to consolidate control after the coup attempt.
His release is expected to lead to end of crippling sanctions and tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium which Washington imposed on its Nato ally this summer amid growing frustrated over his case.
The tit-for-tat row sparked fears of a full-blown economic crisis in Turkey and sent shockwaves rippling through other emerging markets.
The unusual catalyst for Brunson’s release has come in the form of a separate diplomatic crisis in Istanbul, where Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi and disposing of his body at the Saudi consulate in the city.
While Turkey maintains Saudi Arabia sent a 15-man assassination team to silence Khashoggi, who has been critical of newly appointed crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s policies, it is seeking US help in investigating the case in order to avoid antagonising its already fragile political and trade relations with Riyadh.
TurkeyTurkey
ReligionReligion
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content