Turkish court orders release of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson
Source: The Washington Post
By Erin Cunningham October 12 at 9:35 AM
ALIAGA, Turkey — A Turkish court convicted American pastor Andrew Brunson of aiding terrorism on Friday but sentenced him to just time served and ordered his immediate release.
The case of the evangelical preacher caught up in Turkey’s post-coup security sweep had garnered the attention of the highest levels of the American administration and become a sore point in the two countries’ relations.
Brunson’s trial had resumed Friday in western Turkey, where he headed a small evangelical congregation, just hours after U.S. officials said that a deal had been reached with Turkish authorities to secure his release.
Brunson, 50, has been held for two years on what he and the Trump administration said were false terrorism- and espionage-related charges. Prosecutors accused the pastor of being linked both to Kurdish separatists and the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Turkish authorities say orchestrated a failed coup attempt in 2016.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/turkish-court-orders-release-of-us-pastor-andrew-brunson/2018/10/12/a793df78-ccbf-11e8-ad0a-0e01efba3cc1_story.html
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