Pastor Andrew Brunson

Biography:

Andrew Brunson, 50, is an American citizen who has lived in Turkey for 23 years. He is a pastor for the Izmir Diriliş (Resurrection) Church, a small evangelical Presbyterian congregation in the city of Izmir.

Andrew filed an application to renew his residence visa in April 2016. On October 7, 2016, the local police department summoned him for what he assumed to be a routine meeting to discuss his visa renewal. However, he was taken into custody upon his arrival at the station and told he would be deported within 15 days.

A lawyer who asked to visit Andrew was denied access. When the lawyer returned with an affidavit, officials told him that he signed a statement declaring that he did not want a lawyer; the document he signed waived his right to legal representation. Initially, Turkey also refused to allow a U.S. consulate representative to meet with him, a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. During this period, members of the Pastor’s church attempted to bring food, water, and clothing to him, but were denied access until October 13. Pastor Brunson was not allowed contact with other prisoners and was held incommunicado in the Harmandali Detention Center.

A court document released at a December 9, 2016 hearing indicated that Pastor Brunson had been charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” The judge reportedly mentioned allegations that Pastor Brunson is linked to the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government accuses of planning the failed July 2016 coup.

Pastor Brunson initially was held in a cell with 21 other inmates that was built to hold only eight prisoners. He was transferred in August 2017 to Kiriklar Prison where he was in a cell with two other men who have been accused of being members of the Gülen movement. He spends 24 hours a day in his cell, leaving for one hour weekly for visits. Sometimes he is allowed family visits and the U.S. Embassy sees him regularly.

Anadolu, a state-run news agency, reported on August 24, 2017 that the prosecutor submitted new evidence corroborating two charges against Mr. Brunson: support of a terrorist organization and political or military espionage. On March 5, a Turkish court accepted the prosecutor’s indictment.

Vice Chair and USCIRF advocate Kristina Arriaga and then Vice Chair Sandra Jolley visited Pastor Brunson on October 5, 2017, and confirmed the desperate conditions in which Mr. Brunson was being held.

Pastor Brunson’s first court hearing of his trial occurred on April 16, 2018, after 18 months in detention. His second hearing took place on May 7; then USCIRF Vice Chair Sandra Jolley and USCIRF staff attended in person. His third hearing, which Vice Chair Arriaga and USCIRF staff attended, took place on July 18. Pastor Brunson was released to house arrest on July 25 due to health concerns. His fourth and last hearing took place on October 12, 2018, with Commissioner Tony Perkins and USCIRF staff present.

Pastor Brunson was convicted on the charge of aiding terrorism but released the same day and subsequently returned to the U.S. The judge determined that his two-year detainment plus his good conduct counted for him serving his sentence of three years, one month-imprisonment.