Turkey jails American missionary on terrorism charges

[TomSea]

Turkey jails American missionary on terrorism charges
By Lorraine Caballero   13 December, 2016 11:24 AM

Turkey has sent to prison an American missionary who has been detained in the country for more than two months now over terrorism charges.

Norine and Andrew Brunson were earlier arrested upon deportation orders of the Interior Ministry amid a massive crackdown in the wake of a failed coup attempt against the government. The pastor's wife is now asking for prayers as Turkey sent Andrew to a jail in the city of Izmir on Friday, Bos News Life details.
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According to World Watch Monitor, Andrew was transferred to a counter-terrorism center before he was interrogated in court on Dec. 9. His wife, on the other hand, was reportedly freed in October and was ordered to leave Turkey.

Andrew's supporters say the charges filed against him were linked to his Christian activities in the country, as the couple was leading the Protestant Resurrection Church in Izmir. The court said a "secret informant" had exposed Andrew as a "national security threat.'

Continued: http://www.christiandaily.com/article/turkey-jails-american-missionary-on-terrorism-charges/59609.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/12/14/family-fights-for-release-us-pastor-jailed-in-turkey-on-terrorism-charges.html

Andrew Brunson, 48, pastor of a Protestant church in Izmir, was locked up Friday after first being detained in October. The government accuses him of having ties to an American-based cleric, Fetullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for a July coup attempt.

[mountaineer]

U.S. Senate letter to Turkey garners 77 signatures to release Andrew Brunson
EP Connection


An open letter from the U.S. Senate to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, has garnered 77 signatures from members of the Unites States Congress. The letter requests that EPC teaching elder Andrew Brunson, “an American citizen who has been unjustly detained in Turkey, be immediately released and deported.”

Signatories to the letter remind Erdoğan that Brunson’s imprisonment “has been raised repeatedly by U.S. Government officials with officials of the Government of Turkey. Unfortunately, high-level efforts to secure Mr. Brunson’s release have been unsuccessful. We have closely followed developments with this case, and are deeply disappointed.”

The letter was led by Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representatives Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.   ...

Text of letter.