Ignoring pleas from President Donald Trump and other top US officials, a Turkish court Monday declined to free Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who was detained in October 2016 on espionage and terror charges. This occurred during a hearing in which a secret witness claimed the pastor was trying to set up a “Christian Kurdish state” carved out of Turkey. It also was claimed that coordinates for weapons dropped by American forces to Kurdish militants in Syria were “provided by Christian missionaries.” Prosecutors refused to allow witnesses for the defense to testify and the trial was adjourned until July 18.
The decision drew a flurry of rebukes from US senators and members of Brunson’s church who had hoped the North Carolina evangelist would be placed under house arrest, if not released entirely and allowed to return home. Republican Sen. James Lankford, who has been spearheading legislation to punish Turkey over its increasingly roguish behavior, called Brunson’s trial a "sham" that was "filled with secret witnesses and conspiracy theories.” The Oklahoma senator added in a Monday tweet, “Congress stands ready to take action, including sanctions, if Brunson is not released.”