U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced Wednesday that he visited Andrew Craig Brunson, an American pastor who is facing terror charges for his links to Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the PKK, at the Buca Prison where he is being held in Turkey's western city of Izmir.
Brunson is originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, but has lived in Turkey for the past 20 years. He was arrested in December 2016.
Brunson will be tried on April 16 in Izmir where he served at Diriliş (Resurrection) Church. Prosecutors are asking for a prison term of up to 35 years on charges of committing crimes on behalf of a terrorist group and obtaining confidential state documents for purpose of military espionage.
Tillis, who has worked alongside the State Department to negotiate Brunson's release, expressed hope that Turkey and the U.S. would be able to resolve disputes over the case, stating: "It is vital that our nations continue this partnership and continue to work together to pursue our common interests."
The case of Brunson is a thorny issue between Ankara and Washington. Washington has repeatedly called for the release of Brunson, claiming he was "unjustly detained." The outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the last high-ranking U.S. official to demand his release during a visit to Turkey last month, disregarding judiciary independence.
Brunson was arrested after a secret witness in a criminal probe into the FETÖ testified against him while authorities were preparing to deport Brunson and his wife Norine Lyn for "involvement in actions threatening national security."
The indictment underlined the pastor's links to the terrorist group and his frequent contacts with Bekir Baz, a fugitive point man for the FETÖ in the Aegean region where Izmir is located, his aide Murat Safa, and Amnesty International's Turkey Branch Executive Taner Kılıç, who is also being accused of aiding the FETÖ.
