US ‘hopeful’ on pastor Brunson's release

The US government is hopeful that American pastor Andrew Brunson who is on trial in Turkey could be freed at a Friday court hearing, but the State Department said it was unaware of any deal with the Turkish government for his release.

NBC News and The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the United States and Turkey had reached an agreement in which some charges against Brunson would be dropped and he would be released at the hearing or soon after.

The case against Brunson, an evangelical preacher from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, has become the flashpoint in a diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington, triggering U.S. tariffs and sanctions against Turkey and condemnation from Donald Trump.

Brunson was jailed in October 2016 and transferred to house arrest in July. In court on Friday, the prosecution is expected to introduce two new secret witnesses, but Brunson’s lawyer Cem Halavurt said their testimonies were not germane to the case. Brunson is facing terrorism charges, which he denies.

The Brunson case has grown into the biggest of several disputes between the NATO allies and has been one of the factors in a 40 percent slide in value of the Turkish lira this year.

Despite pressure from the Trump administration, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he has no sway over the judiciary and that the courts will decide on Brunson’s fate.

Pastor Brunson is charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson has denied the accusation – as has Gulen – and Washington has demanded his immediate release. Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999.

Brunson faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted.