According to the Associated Press, Turkish media outlets are reporting that a Pastor Brunson’s lawyer is planning to petition Turkey’s highest court for his client’s release.
Brunson was arrested in October of 2016 and charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” but recently the Turkish government announced his unofficial charge of ‘Christianization.”
According to Turkey’s private DHA news agency, Ismail Cem Halavurt has said he will be filing a Constitutional Court appeal on Wednesday on behalf of Brunson, who is currently under house arrest and awaiting trial.
Brunson could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted.
The American pastor has become the center of a dispute between Turkey and the United States.
President Donald Trump has demanded Brunson’s release on several occasions, but Turkey has refused to release the pastor. For this reason, in August, President Trump doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. This decision has played a key factor in the depreciation of Turkish currency sending their economy into a currency crisis.
Photo courtesy: Rohan Reddy/Unsplash
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