ALIAGA, Turkey (Reuters) - A Turkish court decided on Wednesday to keep an American pastor in jail, dashing hopes that he could be released during his trial on terrorism and spying charges, a case that has deepened a rift with NATO ally Washington. Andrew Brunson, a Christian pastor from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, was indicted on charges of helping the group that Ankara blames for a failed 2016 coup against President Tayyip Erdogan, as well as supporting outlawed PKK Kurdish militants. Brunson, who denies the charges, faces up to 35 years in jail if found guilty. “It is really hard to stay in jail and be separated from my wife and children,” Brunson, wearing a black suit and a white shirt, told the court in Turkish. “There is no concrete evidence against me. The disciples of Jesus suffered in his name, now it is my turn. I am an innocent man on all these charges. I reject them. I know why I am here. I am here to suffer in Jesus’s name.” U.S. President Donald Trump late on Wednesday said in a tweet that Erdogan “should do something to free this wonderful Christian husband & father,” saying that Brunson has “been held hostage far too long.” The U.S. Senate passed a bill last month including a measure that prohibits Turkey from buying F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets because of Brunson’s imprisonment and Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system. Slideshow ( 11 images ) The U.S. envoy to Turkey said he was “disappointed” by the ruling of the court in the Aegean province of Izmir, where Brunson had been living. “Our government is deeply concerned about his status and the status of other American citizens and Turkish local employees of the U.S. diplomatic mission who have been detained under state of emergency rules,” Charge d’Affaires Philip Kosnett told reporters outside the courtroom. “We have great respect for both Turkey’s traditional role as a haven for people of faiths and Turkey’s legal traditions,” he said. “We believe this case is out of step with these traditions.” NEW WITNESSES Erdogan has previously linked Brunson’s fate to that of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric who Turkey accuses of masterminding the failed coup. Gulen denies any involvement in the coup, in which at least 250 people were killed. The spokesman of Turkey’s ruling AK Party, Mahir Unal, said that just as Washington had responded repeatedly to Ankara’s requests for Gulen’s extradition by saying it was a matter for the U.S. courts, so Brunson’s fate was a judicial matter. Slideshow ( 11 images ) Brunson was pastor of the Izmir Resurrection Church, serving a small Protestant congregation in Turkey’s third-largest city, south of the Aegean town of Aliaga where he is now on trial. His lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt had raised hopes that Brunson could be released as the prosecution witnesses finish testifying. But Halavurt said on Wednesday the prosecution has added the testimony of two new anonymous witnesses to the case and that the court would reconvene on Oct. 12 to hear them and view new evidence. Turkey’s lira weakened against the dollar immediately after the ruling, reflecting investor worries about tensions with the United States. Brunson’s trial is one of several legal cases that have raised tensions between Washington and Ankara. A U.S. judge sentenced a Turkish bank executive in May to 32 months in prison for helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions, while two locally employed U.S. consulate staff in Turkey have been detained. The two NATO allies are also at odds over U.S. policy in Syria, where Washington’s ally in the fight against Islamic State is a Kurdish militia that Turkey says is an extension of the PKK, which has waged a three-decade insurgency in southeast Turkey. In a statement late on Wednesday, four Republican U.S. senators called for the immediate release of Brunson and other U.S. citizens being held in Turkey, warning of legislative reprisals otherwise. “We encourage the Administration to use all the tools at their disposal to ensure the release of these innocent people before Congress is forced to press for even stricter legislative measures that will be difficult to unwind,” Senators Thom Tillis, Jeanne Shaheen, James Lankford, and Lindsey Graham said.<doc-sep>An American pastor being tried on terrorism and spying charges in Turkey will remain in jail until his trial reaches an outcome, a Turkish court ruled Wednesday. The Associated Press reported that evangelical pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, 50, was arrested in 2016 after an attempted coup over his alleged ties to the illegal Kurdistan Workers’ Party and to a group led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Brunson has repeatedly denied the charges. If convicted, he could face up to 35 years in prison. ADVERTISEMENT The pastor’s case has strained tensions between Turkey and the U.S., with some lawmakers calling for measures to be taken against Turkey if he is not freed. Trump called for Brunson’s release last year, saying he is “persecuted in Turkey for no reason.” The pastor has been working in the country for more than two decades as the leader of the Resurrections Church.<doc-sep>After a Turkish court denied release to US pastor Andrew Brunson, US President Donald Trump described the pastor's detention as a "total disgrace." The US president also directly urged Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to intervene in his Twitter post on Thursday. On Wednesday, a judge in Izmir said the clergyman would be held in jail until facing charges of terrorism and espionage. The case of the American evangelical Christian pastor from North Carolina has added further strain to US-Turkish relations, with some members of US Congress calling for sanctions against Turkey. Critics of Turkey have described Brunson as a "hostage." Read more: Turkish court rules to keep Amnesty official in jail on terrorism charges Gulen and Brunson cases linked The 50-year-old Brunson has spent nearly two years in prison, accused of links to Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States, and who Ankara accuses of being behind the failed coup attempt of July 2016. Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Brunson's release may be tied to the extradition of Gulen from the United States. Brunson is also accused of ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU. In the court's third hearing, it was decided to keep the pastor in prison until the next hearing on October 12. Brunson, who has lived nearly two decades in Turkey and served at a small church in Izmir, denies the charges. He faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted. Speaking outside the courtroom on Wednesday, US charge d'affaires Philip Kosnett told reporters: "I don't believe that there is any indication that Pastor Brunson is guilty of any sort of criminal or terrorist activity." Currency and political effects The court decision sent the already troubled Turkish lira tumbling over fears of heightened tensions between Washington and Ankara. The pastor's detention has become a major issue for President Trump's key evangelical constituency in the United States. Trump, whose political base includes conservative Christians, tweeted in April that Brunson was "on trial and being persecuted in Turkey for no reason." US Senators Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen were in Turkey in June and met with Brunson. They also held talks with Erdogan to press for the pastor's release. Read more: Turkey threatens retaliation against US if Washington halts weapons sales In addition to Brunson's imprisonment, US-Turkish relations have nosedived over American support for Syrian Kurdish forces, Ankara's plans to buy Russia's S-400 missile system and human rights concerns. US Congress has ratcheted up pressure on Turkey over Brunson's imprisonment and the S-400 deal, threatening to cut NATO ally Turkey out of the international Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II procurement program. cw/jm (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.<doc-sep>
Turkish court rules to keep American pastor Brunson in jail İZMİR A court in the Aegean province of İzmir has ruled that Andrew Brunson, an American pastor being tried on terrorism and spying charges, will be kept in jail pending trial. The Second High Penal Court in İzmir decided to continue listening to the testimonies of witnesses in the next hearing on Oct. 12. Brunson, a Christian pastor from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, was indicted on charges of having links with the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ) that Ankara blames for the failed 2016 coup attempt, as well the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He was detained nearly two years ago and faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty. Brunson denied the charges, calling them “shameful and disgusting.” President Donald Trump has called for his release and the U.S. Senate passed a bill last month including a measure that prohibits Turkey from buying F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets because of Brunson’s imprisonment and Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system. Philip Kosnett, U.S. charge d’affaires in Turkey, told reporters outside the courtroom before the hearing began that Brunson’s case was a critical one for the United States and had ramifications for its relationship with Turkey. “The sooner Andrew Brunson can be reunited with his family the sooner we can start focusing on other issues in the relationship,” he said. Following the hearing, he expressed his disappointment. "I’ve read the indictment, I’ve attended three hearings. I don’t believe that there is any indication that Pastor Brunson is guilty of any sort of criminal or terrorist activity. Our government remains deeply concerned about his status, as well as the status of other American citizens and Turkish local employees of the U.S. diplomatic mission who have been detained under state of emergency rules. We have great respect both for Turkey’s traditional law as a haven for people of all faiths and for Turkey’s legal traditions. And we believe that this case is out of step with those traditions," he said in a written statement. Brunson was pastor of the İzmir Resurrection Church, serving a small Protestant congregation in Turkey’s third largest city, south of the Aegean town of Aliağa where he is now on trial. The Turkish government says Brunson’s case will be decided by the courts. But President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has previously linked his fate to that of Fethullah Gülen, the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Turkey blames for the coup attempt and whose extradition Ankara seeks.