Turkey - North Carolina Pastor Put On Trial For "Aiding A Terrorist Organization”

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Back in the summer of 2016, one day after the terrorist attack in Nice, France, another world-attention grabbing event took place.

On 15 July, parts of the Turkish military tried to take power from President Erdogan in a coup, which the Turkish authorities have blamed on a rival cleric named Fetullah Gülen, who resides in the US.

In the days and weeks after the coup, 50,000 people were arrested, 100,000 state employees were fired and various newspapers and TV stations shuttered. Mr Erdogan changed the constitution since, offering himself broader powers in the process.

One of those arrested was US Pastor Mr Andrew Brunson, who has led a Protestant church in the Turkish City of Izmir and lived there for the past 23 years. His arrest and subsequent trial, which starts today, is one of the reasons relations between Turkey and the US have deteriorated.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Missionary and American pastor Andrew Brunson is facing trial in Turkey tomorrow morning—and he needs our prayers. He is being falsely accused, in my opinion, because of his Christian faith. <a href="https://t.co/qmuCItY3SP">https://t.co/qmuCItY3SP</a></p>&mdash; Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) <a href="https://twitter.com/Franklin_Graham/status/985657402342170624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2018</a></blockquote>

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His Lawyer, Mr Hallavurt, told reporters that Pastor Brunson was "both nervous, but also excited because it is the first time he will appear before a judge. He has expectations and a hope".

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tomorrow Pastor <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AndrewBrunson?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AndrewBrunson</a> will be sentenced. He&#39;s jailed in a Turkish prison for his faith. Please remember this man in your prayers today. We only have one day left. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PastorAndrew?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PastorAndrew</a></p>&mdash; Matthew Hedstrom (@Alpha_Omega123) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alpha_Omega123/status/985521558142713857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Back home, Mr Brunson's daughter, Miss Jacqueline Furnari, told a US foreign relations investigative commission that she was waiting for her father’s return to get married: "I'm still waiting for my dad to walk me down the aisle, and I'm still waiting for that father-daughter dance."

Source:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/04/15/us-pastor-faces-terror-charges-in-fraught-trial-in-turkey/