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Pastor Andrew Brunson, the US cleric from North Carolina who was jailed after the failed Turkish military coup two years ago over claims of having helped the ‘Fetullah Gulen’ side, could soon be released.
Mr. Brunson, whose due in a Turkish court this Friday morning, will, according to various reports in the US media, be granted amnesty from further legal proceedings by the Turkish judiciary and would then return to the US in the coming days. If so, that would be another major win for the Trump administration (more specifically for VP Pence and State Secretary Pompeo) less than a month before the next midterms.
Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/38478-Erdogan-Claims-US-Pastor-Andrew-Brunson-Has-Dark-Links-With-Terror-Organisations"> Erdogan Claims US Pastor Andrew Brunson Has "Dark Links With Terror Organisations"</a>.
US Vice-President Mr. Mike Pence says that he is not aware such a deal was reached but that he remains ‘hopeful’ that a fair hearing would result in freedom for Mr. Brunson.
During a press briefing on the subject, Mr. Pence stated: "We remain hopeful that with the court proceeding that Turkey will see its way clear and free this good man who is guilty of nothing and who has been incarcerated for several years in Turkey unjustly."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">U.S. makes deal to return American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey: Report <a href="https://t.co/dGBmFjSNbt">https://t.co/dGBmFjSNbt</a></p>— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashTimes/status/1050459660740907013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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He also added that the Trump administration had "made it clear that we will continue to stand strong until Pastor Brunson is free".
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">US & Turkey have reached a deal to release American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson in the coming days. Brunson will be released in exchange for economic benefits after Ankara drops certain charges against him at his next court hearing on Friday <a href="https://t.co/LoCRnxcxnR">pic.twitter.com/LoCRnxcxnR</a></p>— Daily Hurriyat (@HurriyatPk) <a href="https://twitter.com/HurriyatPk/status/1050589299052142592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The arrest and continued detention of Mr. Brunson has led to a serious breakdown in relations between Turkey and the US, resulting in Mr. Trump threatening to install further tariffs and the Turkish currency suffering a major plunge as a result.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Daniel Hoffman on Pastor Brunson case: “We don’t have any hard evidence here, but the timing does look awfully interesting.” <a href="https://twitter.com/foxnewsnight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNewsNight</a> <a href="https://t.co/YeK3Zwv6mm">https://t.co/YeK3Zwv6mm</a> <a href="https://t.co/cRw97gNXWD">pic.twitter.com/cRw97gNXWD</a></p>— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1050600698042245120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Turkish authorities moved towards house arrest for Mr. Brunson in the past few months rather than keeping him jailed but Secretary of State Mr. Mike Pompeo repeatedly stated that this was not enough, claiming that "we have seen no credible evidence against Mr. Brunson."
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