An American pastor imprisoned in Turkey went to trial this morning. Andrew Craig Brunson is a 50-year-old pastor from North Carolina. He is facing up to 35 years in a Turkish prison on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member” and “espionage.”
Brunson was arrested in December 2016 shortly after a failed military coup d’état (attempt to overthrow the government) occurred in Turkey. The Turkish government believes a U.S.-based Muslim cleric named Fethullah Gulen masterminded the coup. Prosecutors say Brunson had ties to that cleric. The pastor—who has lived in Turkey for 23 years—denies the allegations.
The American Center for Law and Justice has called Brunson “a hostage of the Turkish government.” Turkey has tried to negotiate with the United States to trade Brunson for Gulen—but the United States has refused to extradite the cleric. President Donald Trump asked Turkish President Erdogan to have his government “expeditiously” return the pastor. Erdogan fired back, demanding that the U.S. first return Gulen.
Brunson pastors a small congregation at Izmir Resurrection Church. The prosecution alleges that Brunson used religious work as a cover for spying and also for sowing discord in the country by working to convert Kurds to Christianity. Brunson denies he did anything more than serve as a pastor should.
“I am a Christian pastor,” Brunson said in a prepared comment in court today. He delivered his defense statement in Turkish. “I did not join an Islamic movement. Their aims and mine are different.”
In a message to his mother, Brunson requested prayer specifically. He wrote:
Dear praying friends,
I am tense as I now know I will go on trial, April 16. I ask for your prayers:
1. That I have courage and strength. Even Paul, who was much more courageous and strong than I, needed this (Eph 6:18-20; 2 Tim 4:17).
2. That I represent Jesus Christ well—with peace, love, and forgiveness.
3. That the Lord expose the lies of the many false witnesses and establish truth. I so long to be free, and return to my family.
Thanks for standing with me, for your prayers.
Andrew
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis and Sam Brownback, U.S. ambassador-at-large for religious freedoms, were both in Turkey today to observe the trial.
(AP Photo: American pastor Andrew Brunson stands trial in Turkey. He faces 35 years in prison on the charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member” and “espionage.”)
