Turkish Court Rules US Pastor to Remain in Jail, Stoking US-Turkish Tensions
(Worthy News) – A Turkish court ruled for the continued detention of an American pastor in the face of growing U.S. pressure for his release. Andrew Brunson faces 35 years behind bars on terrorism and espionage charges, in a case condemned by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The pastor’s jailing is becoming the focal point of wider simmering U.S.-Turkish tensions. The U.S. State Department has labeled the charges “groundless and without credible evidence.” Brunson’s ongoing detention will likely add to growing calls in Washington for sanctions against Turkey, observers said.
In the second day of the pastor’s trial Monday, a witness testifying anonymously via video link accused Brunson of helping the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, to create a Christian Kurdish state. The PKK is a Marxist organization that has waged a decades-long insurgency for greater minority rights. [ Source: VOA News (Read More…) ]