US Pastor Brunson Appeals For Release In Turkey For 2nd Time

The lawyer of US pastor Andrew Brunson on Tuesday filed an appeal for the second time to a Turkish court to lift his client's house arrest and travel ban, local media reported.

ISTANBUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Aug, 2018 ) :The lawyer of US pastor Andrew Brunson on Tuesday filed an appeal for the second time to a Turkish court to lift his client's house arrest and travel ban, local media reported.

According to CNNTurk, Brunson's lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt submitted the petition to the Second High Penal Court in Turkey's western province of Izmir.

The same court, which moved Brunson from prison to house arrest under judicial control due to his health problems, refused Halavurt's first appeal in July.

The 50-year-old pastor, who has been living in Turkey for more than two decades, was detained two years ago and faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty.

The pastor was accused of espionage and having links to a network led by the US-based outlawed cleric Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Gulen was deemed by Ankara as being behind a failed coup that took place in July 2016.

Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey, doubling steel and aluminum tariffs over the issue of Brunson, which caused the Turkish Currency lira to tumble down against the US Dollar. The next hearing of Brunson's trial is slated for October 12.