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Andrew Brunson | |
|---|---|
 Brunson in October 2019 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Andrew Craig Brunson January 3, 1968 |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Spouse | Norine Brunson |
| Children | 3 |
| Denomination | Evangelical Presbyterian Church[citation needed] |
| Alma mater | Wheaton College (bachelors, 1988);[1] Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A., 1991);[2] Erskine Theological Seminary M.Div.; University of Aberdeen (PhD, 2001) |
| Organization | |
| Church | Founder: Izmir Resurrection Church; Home church: Christ Community Church in Montreat, N.C. |
| Senior posting | |
| Based in | Former: Izmir, Turkey |
| Post | Pastor |
| Website | epc |
Andrew Craig Brunson (born January 3, 1968) is an American pastor. Before becoming a lecturer in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, he was the evangelical pastor of a Protestant church with a congregation of 24 people in İzmir, Turkey.[3][4]
Brunson was arrested in Turkey, where he has lived since the mid-1990s, in 2016 on allegations of spying and links to the Gülen movement and the PKK during the purges following the coup attempt against 65th cabinet of Turkey.[5][6][7] In 2019, Brunson published a memoir about his ordeal.[8]
On September 28, 2017, Tayyip Erdoğan made an unsuccessful offer to swap Brunson for Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.[9] On August 1, 2018, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned two senior Turkish government officials, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, for their role in Brunson's arrest.[10][11] On August 9, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced increased tariffs on Turkish products. Erdoğan also raised tariffs on US products in retaliation.
On October 12, 2018, Brunson was found guilty of aiding terrorism by the Turkish authorities and sentenced to prison.[12] He was released from Turkish custody and immediately returned to the United States.[13][14]
- ^ Stapleton, Ally (January 12, 2017). "Wheaton Grad Missionary Detained in Turkey". The Wheaton Record. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ "Calls intensify for release of TEDS alumnus Andrew Brunson in Turkey". Trinity International University. April 24, 2017. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Ciara Nugent. (October 12, 2018). "Who is Andrew Brunson, the Evangelical Pastor Freed in Turkey?". Time. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ BBC. (July 26, 2018). "Trump threatens Turkey sanctions over pastor Andrew Brunson". BBC website Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Andrew Brunson, US pastor linked to terrorist groups, released". Daily Sabah. July 25, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
- ^ "Turkey elections: Six arrested for 'insulting Erdogan' on social media ahead of major national polls". The Independent. June 24, 2018. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022.
- ^ "Turkey orders detention of 132 people in coup probe: agency". Reuters.com. June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Andrew Brunson Expected Persecution. Not Feeling Abandoned by God". September 20, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autogenerated1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "US sanctions Turkey over Pastor Brunson detention". The National. August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Treasury targets Turkish officials with sanctions over detained US pastor", thehill.com, August 1, 2018.
- ^ Keating, Joshua (October 12, 2018). "Pastor's Release Could Lead to a U.S.-Turkey Reset". Slate.
- ^ Gould, Joe (October 12, 2018). "Pastor freed in US-Turkey row that snared F-35 program". Defense News. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Agencies (October 12, 2018). "Freed pastor to return to US from Turkey". Gulf News. Retrieved October 12, 2018.