Turkey has literally taken the position that Christianization is terrorism
American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been locked up in a Turkish jail for more than 500 days, could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Until now, he’s been held without charges, but last week, a Turkish court approved a 62-page indictment against him. The charges include membership in an armed terrorist organization and military espionage.
The American Center for Law and Justice, which is helping Brunson’s Turkish attorney, says the charges effectively make sharing the gospel an act of terrorism.
“Turkey has literally taken the position that Christianization is terrorism,” ACLJ Senior Counsel Cece Heil told CBN News. “They have no specific evidence that Pastor Brunson has committed any crime. The fact that he is a Christian, and specifically a Christian pastor, is what they are equating as terrorism.”
“They use terms that he ‘acted as an agent of unconventional warfare while under the mask of being in an evangelical church pastor.’ Some of those activities that they claim are terrorist acts are humanitarian aid, education, and training,” Heil added.
The attorney prosecuting Brunson is asking for a total of 35 years, which would effectively give the 50-year-old pastor a life sentence.
Turkey ranks 31 on 2018 Open doors world watch list of countries where It’s Deadly To Be A Christian