By World Watch Monitor Andrew Brunson, the American-born pastor who was charged with espionage against Turkey and held in custody for two years, has been released and is free to leave the country. A Turkish court on Friday, 12 October, convicted ... Full Article

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, ON – MP David Anderson, as Chair of the Steering Group of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB), has again called for the immediate release of Andrew Brunson, an ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor Jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson’s lawyer has filed a formal appeal before the Turkish Constitutional Court to overturn two lower court refusals to release his client from house arrest. The 10-page ... Full Article

By Julie Hirschfeld Davis | The New York Times WASHINGTON — President Trump abruptly announced on Thursday that the United States would impose “large sanctions” on Turkey for detaining an American pastor accused of aiding a failed coup ... Full Article

By World Watch Monitor Hopes were dashed for the imminent release of an American pastor jailed in Turkey on terrorism charges as a Turkish court today ordered him to remain behind bars. The court scheduled Andrew Brunson’s next hearing for 12 ... Full Article

By Aykan Erdemir and Merve Tahiroglu | World Magazine On Wednesday American pastor Andrew Brunson—unjustly detained in a Turkish prison for almost 20 months—will appear in court. Turkish judges refused to release him after his previous two ... Full Article

By World Watch Monitor The American Charge d’Affaires in Ankara has said that Turkey’s continued detention of pastor Andrew Brunson on spying and terrorism-related charges is impeding US-Turkish relations. Philip Kosnett said there is a ... Full Article

By Erik Rosales | CBN News U.S. Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said he believes the North Carolina pastor, Rev. Andrew Brunson will be released from Turkey. “This administration is deeply engaged on ... Full Article

By The Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey — A witness testifying anonymously against a U.S. pastor accused of spying and terror-related charges in Turkey claimed Monday that the American helped Kurdish militants and aimed to create a Christian ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor On the eve of jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson’s second court hearing in Turkey, growing international comment has focused on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s transparent “hostage ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor Turkish prosecutors demanded life imprisonment for jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson in an official indictment presented to Izmir’s 2nd Criminal Court yesterday, 13 March. Arrested without bail since ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor As a high-level US delegation arrived in the Turkish capital today (23 January), in an effort to resolve high-level tensions between the two NATO allies, discussions were slated to include what officials ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor Six months after five Turkish men were convicted of the grisly murders of three Christians in southeast Turkey ten years ago, an appeals court has upheld their three consecutive life sentences in prison. ... Full Article

By Patrick Poole | Assyrian International News Agency The Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has seized control of at least 50 Syriac churches, monasteries, and cemeteries in Mardin province, report media sources from Turkey. The ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor Comments this week from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan increased speculation that Turkey has been holding jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson hostage since last October in order to extract political ... Full Article

By Barbara G. Baker | World Watch Monitor A Turkish court denied an initial appeal last week for the release of Rev. Andrew Brunson, an American Protestant pastor kept under arrest for the past three months over alleged links to a terrorist ... Full Article

By World Watch Monitor “No more Christmas celebration and/or lessons on Christmas including carol singing is permitted, effective immediately”. An email on 13 December sent to about 35 German-funded teachers at Istanbul Erkek Lisesi (also ... Full Article

Dominique Bonessi | Religion News Service ISTANBUL (RNS) After a weeklong business trip abroad, American pastor Ryan Keating was detained at the airport overnight, interrogated and then put on a plane back to London. “They locked me in a room ... Full Article

by Damaris Kremida, WorldWatch Monitor The Turkish Ministry of EU Affairs welcomed March 2 the return of property, seized by the country’s treasury, to the world’s oldest Syriac Orthodox monastery, Mor Gabriel. In February, the head of the ... Full Article

A Turkish court has freed five men accused of torturing and murdering three Christian missionaries in 2007, after the suspects’ time in detention while on trial exceeded new legal limits, local media said Saturday. The men walked free from ... Full Article