The White House is announcing that the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on two Turkish officials over a detained American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Trump administration would sanction Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior over the holding of 50-year-old Andrew Craig Brunson.

The administration says Turkey's Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu both played leading roles in the organisations responsible for Brunson's arrest and detention.

Andrew Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, is at the centre of one of the most bitter diplomatic spats between the NATO allies in years that risks escalating further.

Brunson was last week put under house arrest after nearly two years in jail. But the crisis has since escalated rather than being defused, with US officials furious he has not been allowed to leave Turkey.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government won't back down and may "go its own way" if the US imposes sanctions.

"We will not give any credit to this type of threatening language," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara.

"It is not possible for us to accept that America gets up, especially with an evangelist, Zionist mentality, and uses this kind of threat-filled language," Erdogan added.

Erdogan's comments come after senior figures from Turkey's religious minorities issued a joint statement on Wednesday denying that there was pressure against their followers.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Turkey Armenian Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Atesyan and Turkey's Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva signed the declaration among other minority leaders, Hurriyet daily reported.

"We practise our faiths and worship according to our traditions freely," it said.

Vice President Mike Pence said last week that Brunson was "a victim of religious persecution" but Erdogan insisted that Turkey did not have the "slightest problem against religious minorities".

Both Pence and Brunson are evangelical Christians. Brunson's Izmir church is affiliated to the Orlando-based Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).

Brunson faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted on charges of acting on behalf of two groups deemed by Turkey to be terrorists - the movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says was behind the 2016 coup bid and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

He is also accused of espionage for political or military purposes. Brunson rejects all the claims against him while US officials insist he is innocent of all the charges.

A court on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by Brunson's lawyer asking for his client to be freed. The next hearing in his case is on October 12.</s>The Department of Treasury will sanction Turkey's Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior for the arrest and detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson.

"We've seen no evidence that pastor Brunson has done anything wrong and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday.

"As a result, any property or interest in property of both ministers within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them," Sanders added referring further questions to the Treasury Department.

In October 2016, Turkey detained American pastor Andrew Brunson because he was accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government. Brunson has denied all charges.

Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey have intensified over Brunson's trial and his continued detainment. Ankara recently transferred the American citizen to house arrest. Last week, President Donald Trump threatened to slap "large sanctions" on Turkey unless it freed Brunson.

"The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being," Trump wrote in a tweet. "He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!"

"To President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have a message on behalf of the president of the United States of America: release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be prepared to face the consequences," Pence told a religious freedom conference hosted by the U.S. State Department.

At the time, neither Trump nor Pence elaborated on what kind of sanctions they could impose.

The tweets prompted an angry response from Ankara and further escalated tensions between the two NATO allies. A spokesman for Turkish president Erdogan said Tuesday that Ankara will retaliate against any U.S. sanctions.

Meanwhile, all of this comes as Congress is inching closer to blocking the transfer of two F-35 jets to NATO ally Turkey.</s>Wednesday, the Department of Treasury sanctioned top two top Turkish officials on the President’s direction over the detention of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson.

“Pastor Brunson’s unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately.”

Earlier this week, pastor Brunson was moved from prison to an apartment where he remains under house arrest, but U.S. officials still issued sanctions to Turkey’s Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu who played leading roles in the organizations responsible for Brunson’s arrest and detention, according to the WH.

The 50-year-old pastor was detained in the aftermath of an alleged military coup in 2016 on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member” and espionage.

The U.S. and Turkey are NATO allies, but the detainment of pastor Brunson has sparked escalation between the two countries.

Josh Hall, an American who had been held in Venezuela on weapons charges for nearly two years was released and returned to the U.S. in May of this year.

Pastor Brunson maintains his innocence with the support of the Trump administration.

“The President has been closely following the ongoing situation in Turkey involving Pastor Andrew Brunson,” said Press Secretary Sarah Sanders at the daily White House briefing.”We’ve seen no evidence that pastor Brunson has done anything wrong and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey.”

The post Trump admin sanctions Turkish officials over detained American pastor appeared first on 850 WFTL.</s>The U.S. Treasury Department has targeted two Turkish government officials for sanctions following Turkey’s refusal to release a detained U.S. pastor.

The Treasury Department announced the move Wednesday, saying Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu were the targets of the sanctions. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets owned by those two government officials and prohibit U.S. citizens from making financial transactions with them.​

​The Treasury statement said Gul and Soylu played leading roles in the organizations responsible for the arrest and detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been detained for 21 months on terrorism charges.

“Pastor Brunson's unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable. President [Donald] Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.​​

​U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also weighed in, saying in a statement that “the Turkish government refused to release Pastor Brunson after numerous conversations between President Trump and President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, and my conversations with Foreign Minister Cavusoglu. President Trump concluded that these sanctions are the appropriate action.”

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said at a briefing Wednesday: “The president has been closely following the ongoing situation in Turkey involving Pastor Brunson. We've seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong, and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust detention by the government of Turkey.”

On Tuesday, a Turkish court rejected an appeal for Brunson to be released from house arrest while awaiting trial.

Brunson is next expected in court October 12 to defend against charges of helping a network led by U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, which Turkey blames for a failed 2016 coup against Erdogan. Brunson is also charged with supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The 50-year-old pastor, who denies the charges, could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted.

The detention of Brunson, an evangelical pastor from Black Mountain, North Carolina, has strained relations between Turkey and the U.S., both NATO allies.

Trump has repeatedly demanded Brunson’s release. The U.S. president has tweeted that Brunson’s detention is “a total disgrace” and added, “He has done nothing wrong, and his family needs him!”

Brunson is among tens of thousands of people Erdogan detained on similar charges during the state of emergency he declared following the failed coup.

The state of emergency ended July 18, but the Turkish legislature passed a new “anti-terror” law last week that gives authorities more power to detain suspects and restore public order.</s>White House announces Treasury is imposing sanctions on 2 Turkish officials over detained American pastor

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House announces Treasury is imposing sanctions on 2 Turkish officials over detained American pastor.</s>The Latest: Turkish minister shrugs off sanctions for pastor

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on an American pastor detained in Turkey (all times local):

Turkey's justice minister has shrugged off a U.S. decision to impose sanctions against him and another Turkish government minister, saying he doesn't have a penny to his name anywhere outside Turkey.

The U.S. announced sanctions against Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over the detention of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the ministers' agencies were responsible for the pastor's arrest and detention.

Gul took to Twitter on Wednesday to say that he had no assets outside Turkey and that he dreamt of owning "a small olive grove" in his Turkish hometown.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted: "The U.S. attempt to impose sanctions will not remain without an answer."

Turkey is calling on the United States to reverse its decision to sanction two Turkish government ministers over a detained American pastor and is threatening to retaliate "without delay."

A Foreign Ministry statement issued Wednesday said Turkey "strongly protests" the U.S. Treasury's decision to impose sanctions against Turkey's justice and interior ministers. It said Turkey would "respond in kind without delay" against what it described as an aggressive stance by the United States.

President Donald Trump had warned last week that he might impose sanctions against Turkey for its treatment of Andrew Craig Brunson, who is under arrest in Turkey and accused of espionage and aiding terror groups.

The ministry called the sanctions a "disrespectful intervention in our legal system" that would harm "the constructive efforts toward resolving problems between the two countries."

The White House is announcing that the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on two Turkish officials over a detained American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Trump administration will sanction Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior over the holding of 50-year-old Andrew Craig Brunson.

The administration says Turkey's Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu both played leading roles in the organizations responsible for Brunson's arrest and detention.

Brunson, an evangelical pastor, was arrested in December 2016 and jailed. He was recently released to home detention.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH'-jehp TY'-ihp UR'-doh-wahn) has said his government won't back down and may "go its own way" if the U.S. imposes sanctions.</s>WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The United States sanctioned Turkey's Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Wednesday (Aug 1) over the country's imprisonment of Pastor Andrew Brunson.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the men had played leading roles in Brunson's 2016 arrest and detention.

"Pastor Brunson's unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement formally announcing the financial restrictions.

"President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately."

On Tuesday, a Turkish court rejected Brunson's appeal to be released from house arrest during his trial on terrorism charges.

Turkey has accused him of helping the group that Ankara has said was behind a failed military coup two years ago.

Sanders said that President Donald Trump had spoken with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about Brunson.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his counterpart by telephone and they planned to meet on the sidelines of Asean meetings this week in Singapore, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

Anticipation of the US sanctions had already helped to send the Turkish lira to an all-time low against the dollar on Wednesday.</s>The United States on Wednesday hit two top Turkish officials with sanctions over the ongoing detention of an American pastor facing terror charges, heaping pressure on Ankara to release the prisoner fueling a bitter diplomatic feud.

The move targeting Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu further ratcheted up tensions between the NATO allies, with Ankara vowing to retaliate over the measures and what it dubbed an "aggressive attitude."

Andrew Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was placed under house arrest last week after nearly two years in jail on charges of espionage and supporting terror groups. He faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted.

"We've seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong, and we believe he's a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told journalists.

"At the president's direction, the Department of the Treasury is sanctioning Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior, both of whom played leading roles in the arrest and detention of Pastor Brunson."

The sanctions freeze any property or assets on US soil held by the two ministers, and bar US citizens from doing business with them.

Turkey's foreign ministry did not waste time in hitting back, saying: "There is no doubt that this will greatly damage constructive efforts working to solve the issues between the two countries."

"Without delay, there will be a response to this aggressive attitude that will not serve any purpose," the ministry added.

"We call on the US administration to turn back from this wrong decision."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, and has plans to meet him next week to demand Brunson's freedom, the State Department said.

"Turkey knows our position well: Pastor Brunson must be released from house arrest and brought back home," Pompeo's spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters traveling with him.

"This has gone on far too long."

Pompeo said Trump had decided that sanctions were "the appropriate action."

Brunson was initially detained in October 2016 during Turkey's crackdown following an attempted putsch.

He stands accused of carrying out activities on behalf of two organizations Ankara considers terror groups.

One is led by the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Turkish authorities say was behind a 2016 failed coup. The other is the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The pastor denies the charges and his defense team argues the case is built on questionable witness statements. His next hearing is set for October 12.

Vice President Mike Pence, who like Brunson is an evangelical Christian, has declared him "a victim of religious persecution."

But Erdogan retorted that Turkey does not have the "slightest problem against religious minorities."

On Wednesday, Erdogan accused the United States of having an "evangelist, Zionist mentality" and using "threat-filled language."

Brunson is one of tens of thousands of people -- several of them Americans -- detained on similar charges during the state of emergency declared by Erdogan in the wake of the 2016 failed coup bid.

The spat over the pastor has stoked tensions between the two governments, which were already quarreling over Washington's support of a Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey is also angry at the United States for its refusal to extradite Gulen, who lives in exile in rural Pennsylvania and vehemently denies that he masterminded the failed 2016 coup bid.

Ankara meanwhile upset Washington by imprisoning two Turkish employees of American consulates in the country and holding another under house arrest on terror-related charges.

The imposition of sanctions on the two ministers is sure to fuel the fire.

"President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement announcing the punitive measures against Gul and Soylu.

Washington accused the two ministers of leading government organizations behind "serious human rights abuses."

The Turkish lira fell to a record low of 5.0 against the dollar after the sanctions announcement, losing more than 1.6 percent of its value.</s>The United States imposed sanctions on two top officials in Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s Cabinet on Wednesday in a new attempt to get NATO ally Turkey to turn over an American pastor accused of backing a coup attempt against Erdogan two years ago.

The U.S. Treasury Department acted against Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over the country’s imprisonment of Andrew Brunson. The United States has blamed both for being involved in Brunson’s arrest and detention.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry called Washington’s action a “hostile stance” and said it would retaliate. Relations between the United States and Turkey have plummeted over Brunson, who was in custody for 21 months in a Turkish prison until he was transferred to house arrest last week.

 

 White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters: “We’ve seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong, and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust detention by the government of Turkey.”

On Tuesday, a Turkish court rejected Brunson’s appeal to be released from house arrest during his trial on terrorism charges.

Anticipation of the U.S. sanctions had already helped to send the Turkish lira to an all-time low against the dollar on Wednesday.

Brunson was accused of helping supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric who Turkish authorities say masterminded the 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan in which 250 people were killed. Turkey has waged a two-year effort to have Gulen extradited from the United States. Brunson was also charged with supporting outlawed PKK Kurdish militants.

Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty of the charges, which he denies.

U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the case directly with Erdogan, Sanders said. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thought they had a deal to get Brunson’s release last month. When that failed to materialize, they began ramping up pressure on the Turkish government, aides said.

Pence, who has close ties to the evangelical Christian community, has been following Brunson’s case since he was arrested and pressing behind the scenes for action, aides said.

Pompeo, en route to Singapore, said in Anchorage, Alaska, that the Turkish government refused to release Brunson “after numerous conversations between President Trump and President Erdogan and my conversations with Foreign Minister (Mevlut) Cavusoglu.”

“President Trump concluded that these sanctions are the appropriate action,” he said.

Pompeo spoke with his counterpart by telephone and they planned to meet on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings this week in Singapore, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

Analysts say relations between the United States and Turkey have come under increasing strain in the past two years over the U.S. role in Syria and Turkey’s stronger ties with Russia.</s>Washington, Aug 2 (IANS) The US Treasury Department will impose sanctions on two Turkish ministers in response to the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

“We’ve seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong,” Sanders said on Wednesday, calling Brunson’s detention “unfair and unjust”.

Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed Brunson’s imprisonment “on several occasions”, said Sanders, who added that the US President is “not happy with Turkey’s decision not to release” the pastor, reports CNN.

The two officials — Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu — will have any assets and properties under the American jurisdiction blocked and US persons will be prohibited from engaging in financial transactions with the ministers.

The Treasury Department in a statement on Wednesday said: “These officials serve as leaders of Turkish government organisations responsible for implementing Turkey’s serious human rights abuses and are being targeted pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13818, ‘Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption’, which builds upon Treasury’s Global Magnitsky Act authorities.”

“Pastor Brunson’s unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

“President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the US expects Turkey to release him immediately.”

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu responded on Twitter, saying: “The effort by the US to impose sanctions on our two ministers will not go unanswered. We cannot solve our problems until the US administration understands that it cannot get its unlawful demands with this method,” CNN reported.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also put out a strong response, stating, “we vehemently protest the sanctions decision announced by the US Treasury Department… A reciprocal response will be given without delay to this aggressive attitude which serves no purpose.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet with Cavusoglu on Friday in Singapore and US European Commander General Curtis M. Scaparrotti is in Ankara this week for meetings with his Turkish counterparts.

Brunson was arrested in 2016 during the Turkish government’s crackdown following an attempted coup. In March, he was formally charged with espionage and having links to terrorist organisations.

If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison. He maintains his innocence.
The White House imposes sanctions on two Turkish officials over the detention of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.