NC pols comment on release of Andrew Brunson

Press release from Sen. Richard Burr:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement on the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson, who had been unjustly detained in Turkey for the last two years:

“I am incredibly grateful that Pastor Brunson has finally been released from his long and unjust detainment in Turkey. President Trump and his Administration made Pastor Brunson’s unconditional release a top priority, and I want to thank them for their tireless work on his behalf. Because of their efforts and strong pressure from Senators Thom Tillis, James Lankford and other members of Congress, an innocent man will soon be back home. Our prayers are with Pastor Brunson and his family as they celebrate his return and recover from this brutal ordeal.”

Pastor Brunson is from Black Mountain, North Carolina. A Presbyterian pastor, he worked peacefully as a Christian missionary in Turkey for 23 years before his arrest and detainment in October 2016.

Press release from Sen. Thom Tillis:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued the following statement on the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson:

“North Carolina native Pastor Brunson will soon return home to the United States, where he will be reunited with his family. While the Brunson family has been caught in the middle of a diplomatic and political nightmare for the last two years, their unwavering optimism and faith kept them strong during this very difficult and stressful time. Despite the anguish Pastor Brunson has had to endure locked away in prison with his fate uncertain, I was personally inspired when I watched him stand up in a Turkish courtroom during his trial – facing an effective lifetime sentence – and announce that he harbored no animosity or bitterness towards the individuals who falsely accused him. That is a testament to his incredible character and devotion to the principles of his faith, which he shared with the Turkish people for more than twenty years.

“When I first met with Pastor Brunson in a Turkish prison earlier this spring, he told me his greatest fear was that the American government would accept the indictment and forget about him. I told him we would never allow that to happen, and over the last several months, Americans from every corner of the country have prayed for his release, and leaders from both parties have worked together behind the scenes. Securing Pastor Brunson’s release was truly a bipartisan, all-hands-on-deck effort. I’m grateful for the efforts of President Trump, the State Department, and my colleagues in the Senate. We pursued a number of diplomatic and policy channels that kept the pressure on. The Turkish Government ultimately made the right decision, which will undoubtedly help improve U.S.-Turkey relations moving forward. While the outcome took longer than anyone would have liked, Pastor Brunson is finally coming back home as a free man.”

Background

• On March 26, 2018 Senator Tillis traveled to Turkey to meet with Pastor Brunson at Buca Prison in Izmir, Turkey.
• On April 16th, Senator Tillis traveled back to Turkey to attend Pastor Brunson’s trial, where he faced up to 35 years in prison.
• Following the hearing, on April 20th, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter signed by 71 senators to President Erdogan calling for his release. In the letter to President Erdogan, the Senators noted that the indictment “is an absurd collection of anonymous accusations, flights of fantasy, and random character assassination…It is an insult not only to an unjustly imprisoned individual, but to the traditions of Turkish jurisprudence.”
• On April 26th, Senators Tillis, James Lankford (R-OK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a bill to prevent the transfer of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Turkey. The bill would also block Turkey’s role as a maintenance depot for the aircraft. Under the US-led, multinational Joint Strike Fighter program, Turkey was expected to purchase more than 100 aircraft.
• On May 24th, Senators Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announced they had secured a provision, based in-part on the legislation introduced on April 26th, in the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to Congress to remove the Government of Turkey from participation in the F-35 program.
• On July 19th, Senator Tillis and a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill demanding Turkey end the unjust detention of U.S. citizens and rejecting international loans to Turkey until the harassment and detention of U.S. citizens comes to an end.
• On July 24th, Senator Tillis announced that the final FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a provision introduced by Senators Tillis and Shaheen that directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress assessing the Government of Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program. The provision was a direct response to the Turkish government’s wrongful imprisonment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Turkey’s troubling intention to purchase the S-400 system from Russia. The provision explicitly states that Congress finds that the Turkish government is unlawfully and wrongfully detaining Andrew Brunson and Serkan Golge, and is denying them due process rights consistent with international norms. Congress overwhelmingly passed the legislation, which President Trump subsequently signed into law.
• On August 1st, the Trump Administration announced it was imposing financial sanctions on the Government of Turkey due to their detainment of Andrew Brunson.

Press release from N.C. Sen. Chuck Edwards:

Raleigh, N.C. – Senator Chuck Edwards (R-Buncombe) today issued the following in statement in response to Pastor Andrew Brunson’s release from Turkish custody. Sen. Edwards represents Pastor Brunson and his family in the North Carolina Senate, and earlier this year led a Senatorial Statement signed by 47 other members calling for Pastor Brunson’s release.

“Our prayers have been answered and Pastor Brunson will soon be home in North Carolina with his family,” said Sen. Edwards. “Pastor Brunson endured biblical suffering in a Turkish prison because of his commitment to God, but his faith has been rewarded. We all owe President Donald Trump and U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr a big thank you for their critical work to secure Pastor Brunson’s release. May his reunited family finally enjoy some peace.”

The full text of Sen. Edwards’ June Senatorial Statement calling for Pastor Brunson’s release is below:

WHEREAS, Pastor Andrew Brunson is an American citizen and from Black Mountain, North Carolina, who has served as a missionary and pastor in Turkey since 1993; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Brunson was detained and formally arrested following the Turkish government’s imposition of a State of Emergency after a violent coup attempt in July 2016 that was rightly opposed by the United States and Turks from across the political spectrum; and

WHEREAS, during the State of Emergency, tens of thousands of citizens of Turkey and citizens of the United States were arrested on vague criminal charges based on false evidence; and
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Danielle Plourd
Friday – October 12, 2018
WHEREAS, the Turkish government detained Pastor Brunson in 2016 without issuing an indictment until March of 2018 and he faces a possible sentence of 35 years for being involved in a “terrorist organization,” while merely being a Christian pastor and missionary in Turkey; and

WHEREAS, Pastor Brunson’s next hearing date is July 18, 2018, at which time he will have spent 649 days of his life away from his family in a Turkish prison on wrongful and unfair charges; and

WHEREAS, 66 bipartisan members of the United States Senate and 154 bipartisan members of the United States House of Representatives signed separate letters to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, urging him to release Pastor Brunson; and

WHEREAS, Turkey’s ongoing policy of unlawfully detaining United States citizens significantly damages economic and diplomatic cooperation and undermines the long-standing trust between our State and country rooted in NATO principles;

NOW, THEREFORE, Pastor Andrew Brunson deserves to be released from prison in Turkey and given his freedom to continue his calling as a pastor and missionary.