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US President Donald Trump has called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to release the American pastor, jailed in Turkey for more than a year and a half. "It's a real shame that Turkey does not release the respected US preacher Andrew Brunson from prison," Trump tweeted Wednesday night. Brunson had been held hostage for too long. "Erdogan should do something to free this wonderful husband and Christian father, he has done nothing wrong, and his family needs him!"
On Wednesday, Brunson's application for release was dismissed. The pastor is accused of links with the PKK, a banned party of Kurdish workers, and with the movement around US preacher Fethullah Gülen. Brunson has been in custody since December 2016 in Izmir, in western Turkey. He faces 35 years in prison.
Turkish leaders accuse Gülen of having attempted the coup in July 2016. Erdogan had proposed an exchange of Gülen against Brunson in the past.
Before Trump, the US State Department had already called on the Turkish government to "resolve this case in a fast, transparent and fair manner". The case weighs heavily on relations between Ankara and Washington. Already in April, Trump had announced on Twitter that Brunson would be prosecuted in Turkey for no reason.
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