Brunson released to house arrest in Turkey

Turkish authorities have moved American Pastor Andrew Brunson from prison to his house in Turkey, where he remains in confinement, his attorneys and U.S. officials said Wednesday. Speaking at a religious freedom conference in Washington, D.C., U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback confirmed Brunson’s release to house arrest Wednesday morning. “This is a critical first step that we believe will result in the freedom of Pastor Andrew so he can return to the United States and be reunited with his family,” the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents the Brunson family, said in a statement. Judges in Turkey ruled for him to remain in pretrial detention pending his next court appearance on Oct. 12, according to Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former member of the Turkish Parliament.

Anadolu news agency reported Wednesday that Brunson, a 50-year-old pastor from Black Mountain, N.C., would be released from a jail in western Turkey and to his house due to “health problems.” The report did not give details about the health problems. The case has strained ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded Brunson’s release. A court in western Izmir province said Brunson would be electronically monitored and barred from leaving his house and the country.