After a long diplomatic battle over his fate, a Turkish court ruled Oct. 12 to release Andrew Brunson, a pastor from North Carolina, after 24 months of imprisonment.
Brunson was arrested in 2016 on charges that he had aided terrorists groups in a failed coup attempt against Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Brunson has denied those charges. At the time of his arrest, he was leading the small Resurrection Church in Izmir, where he lived with his wife and three children.
Brunson — who was one of 20 Americans charged with similar charges after the coup — was sentenced to prison but will not serve time. In July, he was released to house arrest because of health concerns, and on Oct. 12, a judge lifted judicial controls on Brunson and freed him to leave the country. (TAB)
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