Tag: Izmir

Turkish president admits US pastor is political hostage

September 29, 2017 Turkey Binali Yildirim, Coup, Donald Trump, Fethullah Gülen, Izmir, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, USA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has for the first time confirmed publicly that a US pastor jailed in Turkey for the past 12 months is being held by his government as a political hostage. In a speech at his presidential palace yesterday (28 September), Erdoğan openly called on the United . . . Read More

Political stalemate holds US pastor ‘hostage’ in Turkish jail

June 2, 2017 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Binali Yildirim, Coup, Donald Trump, Fethullah Gülen, Izmir, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Comments this week from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan increased speculation that Turkey has been holding jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson hostage since last October in order to extract political concessions from the United States. Addressing the parliamentary assembly of his ruling Justice and Development Party on 30 May, Erdoğan . . . Read More

Turkey unprepared for Trump’s counter-demand

May 22, 2017 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Coup, Donald Trump, Fethullah Gülen, Gaziantep, Izmir, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey was unprepared in mid-May when a new bilateral issue emerged with the United States during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington DC, Al-Monitor reports. There were already two obvious agenda items between the two presidents: Turkey’s outspoken objection to Washington’s decision . . . Read More

Trump presses Turkish president to release jailed US pastor

May 17, 2017 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Ankara, Coup, Donald Trump, Fethullah Gülen, Izmir, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Andrew Brunson in a photo provided by his family.

US President Donald Trump has raised the issue of a US pastor imprisoned in Turkey during his first face-to-face meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Washington DC, reports CNN. According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke . . . Read More

Secretary of State Tillerson meets wife of US pastor jailed in Turkey

March 31, 2017 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Ankara, Binali Yildirim, Coup, Fethullah Gülen, Izmir, PKK, Suruç

Norine Brunson stands below_Izmir's Harmandanli Detention Center,_where her husband had first been held

America’s top diplomat met for 20 minutes yesterday with the wife of US pastor Andrew Brunson, jailed in Turkey for nearly six months on undisclosed charges of involvement in a terrorist organization. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was on a one-day stopover (March 30) in the Turkish capital Ankara, . . . Read More

Turkey rejects initial appeal to release jailed US pastor

January 4, 2017 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Coup, Fethullah Gülen, Izmir

Andrew Brunson has been held since early October.The Brunson family A Turkish court denied an initial appeal last week for the release of Rev. Andrew Brunson, an American Protestant pastor kept under arrest for the past three months over alleged links to a terrorist organisation. In the wake of . . . Read More

UPDATE: Turkey jails US pastor on ‘terrorism’ allegations

December 9, 2016 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Coup, David Byle, Gaziantep, Izmir

UPDATE (9 Dec.): A Turkish judge sent Rev. Andrew Brunson to prison in Izmir today, 64 days after the US pastor and his wife, Norine, were detained on 7 Oct. under Interior Ministry deportation orders. Although his wife was released on 19 Oct. and given an extended permit to remain . . . Read More

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