Turkish judiciary releases US pastor Andrew Brunson

NEWS DESK

Media reported that the court sentenced 3 years, one month and 15 days to Branson, with the lifting of house arrest and travel ban.

The sentence means that the pastor was released because, according to the law, a person sentenced to three years is released after two years of imprisonment.

The American pastor, who put under house arrest in Turkey, posed a serious crisis between Ankara and Washington again in a Turkish court on Friday, against the backdrop of strong US pressure for his release.

Brunson oversaw a small church in Izmir. Since the end of July, he has been under house arrest after being held for a year and a half on charges of "terrorism" and "espionage," which he categorically denies.

US President Donald Trump called Brunson "a great patriot" and said he was being held as a "hostage."

Before his visit to the priest last week, his lawyer Tjim Halafort said his client was "in good health and high morale," but "the anxious wait continues."

Earlier this month, the lawyer offered a petition with the Constitutional Court to release the priest, saying he believed "the court will make the case a priority but a final judgment may take several months."

Branson's arrest and then under house arrest in Turkey sparked a sharp diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the United States. Washington imposed a series of sanctions on Ankara, which responded with similar measures on the issue.

Brunson was arrested for the first time in October 2016 on charges of helping groups seen by Ankara as part of a crackdown carried out by the Turkish authorities following the attempted coup  in July of the same year.

A.H

ANHA