Brunson Update for 4th court hearing

American Pastor Andrew Brunson has now been imprisoned and detained for two years for a crime he hasn’t committed. He is now considered a political hostage of a fellow NATO nation. This is unheard of!

He is currently under house arrest after a lower court refused to lift the house arrest and travel ban requests by his lawyer. His house arrest was allowed due to health issues from being imprisoned.

Since his first arrest, the U. S. government has increased pressure on Turkey by levying sanctions and doubling tariffs on Turkish imports. Having a public outcry from European and American communities has kept this issue before the world. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has implied that he will only release Brunson if the U. S. extradites Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric believed to be the one who orchestrated the 2016 coup. President Trump in one of his tweets called Brunson a “Patriot hostage” and said the U. S. “will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man.”

Andrew Brunson and wife — Andrew and Norine

At Andrew’s previous court appearance, the court heard from a person claiming to be a Christian. He accused Andrew’s church of providing shelter and support to a banned group in Turkey and of financially supporting the leader of the coup. However, his testimony of two hours stated he had no first-hand knowledge of these claims. All was hearsay.

Andrew was given an opportunity to defend himself. In his statement he explained why he was in Turkey and gave a clear presentation of the gospel to everyone in attendance. Norine said she was “incredibly proud of him.” She is asking Christians around the world to pray for a miraculous release.

Next court appearance

Andrews next hearing is tomorrow. He will appear before a Turkish court on October 12. Included in the 62-page list of indictments is the accusation that his “Christianization” of Turkey has been an act of terrorism. However, he has lived in Turkey for 23 years without any incident with authorities and has deliberately kept his distance from any political activities.

flying turkish flag — Courtesy of Pixabay

The claim that Christianity is a form of terrorism is most concerning as Christianity has been in that region for longer than Turkey has been a nation. This accusation has also brought concern from the European Parliament, who has asked for Brunson’s return home. The United Nations in Geneva has serious concerns about the human rights issues in this case and has brought this case before their Human Rights Council.

If convicted, Pastor Brunson faces up to 35 years in prison. This would essentially be a life sentence as he is 50 years old.

Please remember Andrew and his wife Norine in your prayers today and especially tomorrow as he returns to trial. If possible include fasting as this is a critical turning point in his case.

Please pray for the following to occur:

That Andrew’s charges be dismissed and he be released.
That Andrew and Norine be given a safe and quick return to the U. S.
That God would continue to use this situation for his glory.
That the Church in Turkey be encouraged through these events to continue sharing the Gospel.