US Threats To Not Help Release Pastor Brunson Jailed In Turkey - Erdogan

US Threats to Not Help Release Pastor Brunson Jailed in Turkey - Erdogan

Turkey will not release jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson because of the US threats, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2018) Turkey will not release jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson because of the US threats, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"Turkey is a country with the rule of law and the United States cannot demand illegal decisions on Brunson. The trial in Izmir is underway and it cannot be ignored despite the demands for the pastor's release. [The United States] will achieve nothing via such threats," Erdogan told reporters on late Tuesday.

US-Turkish relations deteriorated amid the imprisonment of Brunson, who was detained in Turkey in 2016 over his alleged ties to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Turkey holds responsible for orchestrating the failed military coup of 2016. The pastor was released from prison in late July, only to be moved to house arrest.

The United States later imposed sanctions on Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu accusing them of human rights violations.

The Turkish-US relations even more worsened in August when US President Donald Trump authorized the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, up to 50 and 20 percent, respectively, which resulted in the Turkish lira falling to a new historic low.