The complaint of the Christian actress on Twitter reflects the tiredness of many with media which intentionally ignore matters of faith.
The court in Izmir has decided to keep the US Protestant in jail until the next hearing, in October.
Andrew Brunson, the US Pastor that has been serving in the Protestant Resurrection Church in the city of Izmir (Turkey) for more than 20 years, will continue in prison for at least 3 more months.
The decision was taken by the Second High Penal Court of Izmir, after the hearing held today, 18th July. Brunson has been charged with terrorism, spionage and having links with the Fetullah Güllen movement and the Kurdish Party PKK.
The court ruled that it it will listen to more testimonies in the next hearing, on the 12th of October.
As in previous occasions, the pastor's wife, Norine Brunson, attended the hearing.
As in previous hearings, Andrew Brunson has denied all charges and insisted that he never cooperated with the coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in July 2016.
“It is really hard to stay in jail and be separated from my wife and children”, Brunson, wearing a black suit and a white shirt, told the court in Turkish, Reuters reported.
“There is no concrete evidence against me. The disciples of Jesus suffered in his name, now it is my turn. I am an innocent man on all these charges. I reject them. I know why I am here. I am here to suffer in Jesus’s name”, he added.
The accusation against Brunson is based on the testimonies of secret witnesses.
According to Turkish media outlet Hürriyet Daily News, Philip Kosnett, U.S. charge d’affaires in Turkey, said Brunson’s case was a critical one for the United States and had ramifications for its relationship with Turkey. “The sooner Andrew Brunson can be reunited with his family the sooner we can start focusing on other issues in the relationship,” he has been quoted as saying.
US President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly called for Andrew Brunson's release.
Top leaders of the European Union and the UN have also described the trial as unjust.
Andrew Brunson has been imprisoned since October 2016, and will have spent 2 years in prison when the next hearing is held.
An interview with the socio-political representative of the European Evangelical Alliance about how evangelical Christians work at the heart of the European Union.
Are Christians called to make a difference in environmental care? What has creation care to do with "loving our neighbours"? An interview with the Global Advocacy and Influencing Director of Tearfund.
An interview with Lars Dahle, of the Steering Committee of the Lausanne Movement Global Consultation on Nominal Christianity held in Rome.
Nico Spies, a Christian worker in Athens, gives details about the wildfires in Greece.
The first evangelical congress on childhood and family was held in Madrid. Pictures of the event, November 1-2.
Students, graduates and staff of the global evangelical student movement reflected together on how the books of Luke and Acts apply to today's universities.
Photos of the Lausanne Movement Global Workplace Forum, celebrated in Manila.
Images of the fifth EFN gathering. Experts, activists, counsellors and church leaders met in Pescara, Italy.
Adrian Reynolds, Associate National Director for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), explains how a godly leader should be.
The hip-hop artist and his gospel choir performed ‘Jesus Is King’ songs in a Houston prison. Images of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
“It is not just pastors who do ministry. When the saints are doing the ministry too, the Body of Christ is build up and grows towards maturity in the faith”, says Greg Ogden, Chairman Global Discipleship Initiative.
The European Freedom Network launches a new anti-trafficking campaign: “You have no way of knowing if the porn you are looking at is from someone who chose to be there or not”.
Opinions expressed are those of their respective contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Evangelical Focus.
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