US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a cabinet meeting on Thursday that the United States may take more action against Turkey if American Pastor Andrew Brunson is not released soon.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2018) US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a cabinet meeting on Thursday that the United States may take more action against Turkey if American Pastor Andrew Brunson is not released soon.
"We have more that we're planning to do if they don't release him quickly," Mnuchin said.
On Wednesday, Turkey rejected Washingtons latest appeal for the release of Brunson and imposed retaliatory duties on US products.
Earlier this month, the United States announced it was freezing assets of Turkeys Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu over their role in the detention of Brunson, as well as other alleged human right abuses. US President Donald Trump also approved the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey in response to its detention of Brunson.
Turkish authorities arrested Brunson two years ago for his alleged ties to the movement founded by Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara has accused of orchestrating the 2016 failed military coup. In late July, Brunson was released from a Turkish prison and placed under house arrest.
