Postcards: Climate shifts and rising demand leave Turkey battling growing water stress
JENNIFER HATTAM reports on how population growth, urbanisation, climate change and – critics say – poor water management are all straining Turkey’s water supplies…
Andrew Brunson case increased “hate speech” against Turkey’s Protestants, says church report
World Watch Monitor Turkey’s high-profile criminal case against Protestant pastor Andrew Brunson has triggered a significant increase in public hate speech against the nation’s small Protestant community, creating what its church leaders last week called a “climate of insecurity” for its congregations and individual members. According to the Turkish Association of Protestant Churches’ annual human rights […]
Turkey’s Protestant Christians ‘feel stronger’ after trauma of Brunson case
World Watch Monitor Turkey’s tiny Christian community has “emerged stronger” from the high-profile trauma of evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson’s highly contested imprisonment and trial, according to a spokesman for Turkey’s Protestant Christians. The US pastor’s two-year ordeal culminated in a Turkish court’s decision on 12th October for his release and departure to the United States. “It feels […]
Andrew Brunson’s legal appeal sent to Turkey’s highest court
World Watch Monitor Jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson’s lawyer has filed a formal appeal before the Turkish Constitutional Court to overturn two lower court refusals to release his client from house arrest. The 10 page petition studied by World Watch Monitor called for “urgent” and “corrective” action by Turkey’s highest court to set free the […]
Turkey replaces prosecutor who indicted US pastor Brunson
World Watch Monitor At the outset last week of Turkey’s new judicial year, the Izmir prosecutor who prepared the controversial indictment accusing US pastor Andrew Brunson of terrorism and espionage was reassigned to another bureau. Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul dismissed the transfer simply as a “routine procedure”with no particular significance, referring to Turkey’s common practice of […]
In depth – Hidden agendas cloak Turkish-US feud over jailed pastor
World Watch Monitor On the eve of the week-long Muslim festival of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has accused US President Donald Trump of not wanting to solve his country’s disagreements with the United States over jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson. “It seems that they do not want to solve these problems, […]
US pastor Andrew Brunson to be moved from prison to house arrest, but can’t leave Turkey
World Watch Monitor The US pastor Andrew Brunson is being moved from Kiriklar prison to house arrest in Turkey after a court ruling on Wednesday, a leader of the Turkish Protestant Church has confirmed direct to World Watch Monitor. The same source confirmed that Brunson’s wife is on her way to the prison to meet […]
US ups the ante over Pastor Brunson’s detention
World Watch Monitor The American Charge d’Affaires in Ankara has said that Turkey’s continued detention of pastor Andrew Brunson on spying and terrorism-related charges is impeding US-Turkish relations. Philip Kosnett said there is a “strong sense of unity in Congress between Republicans and Democrats” on the need for Brunson to be released and “a similar […]
Turkey calls for life imprisonment of US pastor Andrew Brunson
World Watch Monitor Turkish prosecutors demanded life imprisonment for jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson in an official indictment presented to Izmir’s 2nd Criminal Court on Tuesday. Arrested without bail since October 2016, Ps Brunson is accused of being “a member and executive” of the Islamic movement led by self-exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, accused of orchestrating […]
Jailed US pastor still refused ‘due process’ in Turkey
World Watch Monitor As indicated in his only photograph from his imprisonment, Andrew Brunson has lost more than 20 kilograms, becoming a pale, slender version of himself. PICTURE: World Witness As a high-level US delegation arrived in the Turkish capital on Tuesday, in an effort to resolve high-level tensions between the two NATO allies, discussions […]