Released from a Turkish prison, 50-year-old Presbyterian pastor Andrew Brunson returned temporarily to his coastal home in Ismir, Turkey after arrested shortly after the failed July 15, 2016 Turkish coup. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan essentially declared martial law, incarcerating thousands of Turksih soldiers and civilians, all of whom accused of participating in the coup orchestrated by exiled 77-year-old Sufi cleric Fethullah Gulen, living in the isolated Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania. Brunson, a pastor with the Montreat, N.C. Christ Community Church, started the Resurrection Church near home of the House of the Virgin Mary in Ismir. Brunson denied ever participating in any dissident activity while living in Turkey before arrested by Turkish authorities Oct. 7, 2016, accused by witnesses of participating in the 2016 coup that tried to bring down Erdogan’s government.
Brunson was kept as trading bait by Erdogan, hoping to coerce the U.S. government into extraditing Gulen from his safe haven in the U.S. Neither former President Barack Obama nor President Donald Trump agreed to extradite Gulen in exchange for Gulen. U.S. officials could find zero evidence presented by the Ankara government that Gulen was remotely connected to the failed 2016 coup. After slapped with sanctions by the Trump administration Aug 1 Brunson’s release signals a possible thaw in U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey finds itself in the middle of a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia over the suspected murder of Saudi Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose disappearance Oct. 2 triggered outrage in the international community. Shocking reports of Khashoggi’s gruesome assassination have created crushing pressure on Turkey and Saudi Arabia to get out the facts.
Brunson’s release today was welcomed news by the White House, hoping to get to the bottom of Khashoggi’s disappearance and suspected murder by a 15-man Saudi assassination squad. Releasing Brunson sends a strong signal to Trump that Erdogan wants to improve U.S.-Turkish relations. Recent disagreements over the U.S. allied with the Kurds in Syria created a rift between the U.S. and Turkey. Kurds formed a key part of the U.S.-backed fighting force against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS], despite Turkey’s longstanding vendetta with the Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK]. Erdogan couldn’t wrap his head around the U.S. using the Kurd’s YPG militia to help battle ISIS in Raqqa, Syria and Mosul, Iraq. Whatever the disagreements, Erdogan looks to get U.S.-Turkish relations back on track. Turkey’s entered into military purchases from Russia over the past two years.
With Brunson’s release, there’s no doubt Trump will alleviate sanctions against Ankara, paving the way for more cooperation. Brunson went to Syria in 1993, eventually helping Syrian refugees, warehoused in camps along the Turkish-Syrian border. He denies any involvement in the 2015 coup, creating the martial law atmosphere leading to his arrest and incarceration. Brunson thanked President Trump for his release, making an emotional statement. “I am an innocent man—I love Jesus, and I love this country,” said Brunson, not wanting to leave his 50-member congregation in Ismir. When the Trump administration slapped sanctions on Ankara for Brunson, Erdogan knew there would be no horse-trading for Brunson’s release. Faced with an international scandal with Khashoggi, Erdogan decided to release Brunson, putting an end to new Treasury Department’s sanctions.
Both Trump and Erdogan have some difficult choices when it comes to Khashoggi’s apparent brutal assassination by Saudi secret police. Neither Erdogan nor Trump can continue business as usual, knowing that Saudi hit men slaughtered Khashoggi in Isstanbul, despite doing it at the consulate on sovereign Saudi territory. Evidence against Brunson was always sketchy, despite witnesses recanting past testimony. “I never saw any bombs or bombers, but I’m a Turkish nationalist—to me all Syrians are terrorists,” said one witness at Brunson’s trial. Most witnesses either recanted their testimony or made inconsistent statements, attesting to how Brunson was swept up in the post-coup hysteria where mass arrests were commonplace. Brunson’s release was due to Trump’s insistence that Ankara face draconic sanctions for illegally holding a U.S. citizen.
Springing Brunson out of jail in Turkey ranks right up there with getting three American citizens released from North Korea May 10, 2018., another example of how America’s enemies treat Trump. While given zero credit by the mainstream press, Trump’s taken seriously by world tyrants, including North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Trump’s often compared with brutal dictators but only by the mainstream press opposed to his conservative policies. Getting Erdogan and Kim to release prisoners shows the kind of clout Trump commands with despotic world leaders. Getting Brunson out shows that Erdogan’s ready to play ball with the U.S. now that he’s in hot water over Khashoggi’s disappearance on Turkish soil. Letting Brunson go opens the diplomatic door to better U.S.-Turkish relations.
