Turkey's Justice Ministry has reportedly received the application of several U.S. senators who are seeking to attend the first hearing in the case of Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has spent the last 16 months in a Turkish prison over claims he is linked with a terror group.
Brunson, who led the Izmir Resurrection Church for over two decades, has been accused of working with the Gulen movement and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) even though he is reportedly not a member of either group. He has also been charged with obtaining state secrets for political or military espionage. The prosecution is seeking a total of 35 year prison sentence against Brunson.
U.S. senators have applied to attend Brunson's first hearing on April 16, including one lawmaker was reportedly a former classmate of the pastor, according to the Stockholm Center for Freedom, citing a report by the pro-government Habertürk daily on Tuesday. The report did not mention how many senators have filed their application.
It was recently reported that the White House has been trying to fix relations with the Turkish government to secure the release of the pastor.
The efforts reportedly involved calls to drop charges against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security team, who were accused of attacking protesters during the Turkish leader's visit to Washington D.C. last year.
The Trump administration is also reportedly urging U.S. lawmakers to reject legislation that would prevent Turkish officials involved in Brunson's case from visiting the U.S.
The American Center For Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is advocating for Brunson's release, contended that the charges against the pastor are false and that his only crime was living out his Christian faith.
The Stockholm Center for Freedom reported that Brunson was supposed to be deported in September 2016, but an anonymous source claimed that the pastor had been engaging in missionary activities in the country and had contacted the Gulen movement.
Brunson was detained on Oct. 7, 2016 but he was only formally arrested on Dec. 9, 2016 on charges of membership in the Gulen movement, which was blamed for the failed coup attempt in July that year.
In September last year, Erdogan suggested that Brunson could be freed if the U.S. extradites Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is currently living in Pennsylvania. The cleric has since denied any involvement in the 2016 coup attempt.
Sen. Thom Tillis, who visited Brunson in jail last month, said that he considers the pastor to be a "political prisoner." He said that the U.S. government is trying to do a balancing act in maintaining relations with the Turkish government while trying to secure the pastor's release.
