Turkish Court Refuses to Release U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson

[DonViejo]

Source: Bloomberg News


By Onur Ant and Baris Balci
August 17, 2018, 8:23 AM EDT

Appeals court in Izmir rejects bid from cleric’s lawyer

Brunson is at heart of spat with U.S. roiling Turkish markets

A Turkish appeals court rejected U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson’s bid for freedom, setting the stage for a new round of sanctions by the Trump administration.

Brunson’s lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt told Bloomberg via text message that he might appeal the decision. The American has been held for nearly two years over what Turkey says was his role in a failed coup.

The lira weakened after the ruling and was trading 5.2 percent lower at 6.1500 per dollar at 3:16 p.m. in Istanbul.

###

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-17/turkish-court-refuses-to-release-u-s-pastor-andrew-brunson

[Iliyah]

1. This will not bode well for the USA.

[louis c]

2. Donald Trump: what a diplomat

[at140]

3. Turkey is punishing ordinary citizens

because of national pride & ego. All for what, ONE pastor? Just deport pastor Brunson and stop weakening the Turkish currency every day because of US sanctions. That is causing galloping inflation for ordinary Turks.

So yes, this will not end well for Turkey and USA.

[Fred Sanders]

7. The imprisonment of an alleged spy is not the cause of economic problems for Turks, that

started long ago.

And the release of one is not going to do the opposite.

Lay blame where blame is due...Shitler.

[at140]

10. Correct, Turkish economy has been under strain for some time

but holding the pastor under house arrest is NOT helping the economy to get better. Erdogan needs to show actual proof of the pastor's involvement in the coup, or let him go. Holding him under house arrest simply gives Trump excuse to impose sanctions, to assuage his Christian supporters.

Disclaimer: I am not a Christian.

[Fred Sanders]

12. He is in prison, the article is release to house arrest pending trial being rejected.

Why is Turkey's claim to extradite the alleged leader of the failed coup living in America any less worthy than the wholesale release of an alleged member of a coup participant living in a Turkey?

The Turks have presented the evidence to the state department for extradition...rejected, under Obama I believe.

Trump has turned it into a religious crusade...because of course he did with Muslim Turkey!

Look at the big picture, dig into the articles beyond the headline, it is fun!

[at140]

13. I would support an exchange of those two!

Or try both the pastor and the person given sanctuary in United States in a neutral country court.

[Mosby]

15. there is ZERO evidence that Gulen was behind the coup.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-is-gulen-movement_us_5797d735e4b0d3568f84fa37

[at140]

19. That can be proven at ICJ in Hague

and also the pastor can be proven innocent.

It is crazy for 2 NATO members to be fighting over
2 individuals without any proof of guilt in a court.

ICJ (International Court of Justice) should be acceptable
to both countries.

[jmowreader]

17. Thanks to Michael Flynn, we CAN'T return Gulen to Turkey

It seems that while former Trump advisor Flynn was doubled to the Turks, he discussed with his Turkish contacts the idea of kidnapping Gulen and handing him over to Turkey.

https://thinkprogress.org/report-flynn-discussed-illegal-kidnapping-of-exiled-turkish-dissident-deb36c4a3c7a/

In looking into Gulen more thoroughly, I have learned that he is running a large network of US charter schools.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-charter-schools-tied-to-powerful-turkish-imam/

[at140]

20. Plz see post #19

[jmowreader]

21. I believe you missed what I was saying

This is about optics. In 2017, Michael Flynn allegedly offered to kidnap Fethullah Gulen for the benefit of his Turkish employer. If we deport Gulen now, the world will think we kidnapped him.

[at140]

22. Which is why Gulen needs his day in ICJ

I did not know Flynn was going to kidnap him. Definitely can not send Gulen straight to Turkey. He will be executed immediately by Erdogan.

[exboyfil]

4. Was he involved in a coup plot?

Just because he is a Pastor does not make him immune from criminal prosecution.

Not to say that the country isn't due for a successful coup, but I can understand their view of the situation.

[7962]

5. Ive seen no proof but maybe there is.

[christx30]

6. Was the coup even real?

Or was it staged by erdogan to consolidate his power?

[jmowreader]

23. It was real

https://www.mepc.org/journal/turkish-coup-attempt-gulen-movement-vs-state

Before Erdogan, who is a moderate Muslim, rose to power, the Turkish government was a secular entity.

Erdogan brought the popular-but-hardcore Gulen and his followers into the government to transform it into a theocracy.

Gulen then tried to force Erdogan and his followers out.

[Fred Sanders]

8. Also, the headline is incorrect. The court rejection was for BAIL...house arrest pending trial.

But that would be a less click worthy truth. The fact he is an evangelical "Christian" is what this is about...more red meat for the ever ravenous Deplorables.

...........

A Turkish court has rejected an appeal to release American pastor Andrew Brunson from his house arrest, according to local media.

Brunson, a 50-year-old evangelical pastor, faces 35 years in prison on charges of espionage and terror-related charges. He has been held in Turkey for two years and accused by local prosecutors of “terrorist” ties to the Islamist Gulen movement, which has been blamed for a failed coup in July 2016. Its leader lives in Pennsylvania and the U.S. has rejected calls from Turkey to have him extradited.

The Turkish court in Izmir upheld a lower-court decision that rejected lifting Brunson’s house arrest, according to the state-run Anadolu agency. It also rejected an appeal for his travel ban to be lifted. Brunson’s next hearing is scheduled for October 12.

The ongoing case has caused a deterioration in U.S.-Turkish relations.

.........
How about a swap, coup leader living in Pennsylvania for this guy?

[Kaleva]

11. I'd rather swap Trump for the pastor

[smb]

14. I'd Rather Swamp Trump For A Bucket Of Used Kitty Litter nt

[mitch96]

9. "Refuses to Release U.S. Pastor"

Is this just a tit for tat spat over the Turkish imam we wont send back to Turkey?
Erdogan says that this guy Fethullah Gulen was behind the so called "coup" that he put down. He was pissed we would not send him back to Turkey so "tit for tat" he pulls this stuff with the US pastor... uggh these guys are like school children...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-cleric-pennsylvania-turkey-coup-20160715-story.html

m

[Haggis for Breakfast]

25. Turkey still believes that

Brunson is a CIA spy.

[pennylane100]

16. I know thr US used to have airbases in Turkey,

I lived there for three years and my son was born there, in a US hospital.

If the bases are still there, I think it would be quite scary for the US families that live in the towns surrounding them. I would not want to live off the base, although when we did when we were there many years ago. It was very safe at the time.

[Shumi]

18. Trump's Turkey tariffs didn't intimidate

As usual.