U.S. sanctions Turkish ministers over detention of pastor

The United States is sanctioning Turkey's justice and interior ministers for "their roles in the arrest and detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson"
Andrew Craig was recently released to home detention.
Wednesday, 01 August 2018 20:50

The White House is announcing that the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on two Turkish officials over a detained American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said U.S. President Donald Trump administration will sanction Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior over the holding of pastor Andrew Craig Brunson.

"The president has been closely following the ongoing situation in Turkey involving pastor Andrew Brunson," Sanders told reporters at the White House. "At the president's direction, the Department of Treasury is sanctioning Turkey's Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior," she said.

Sanders added that Turkey's Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül and Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu both played leading roles in the organizations responsible for Brunson's arrest and detention. She said the United States has seen no evidence of any wrongdoing by Brunson, adding he became a victim of unjust detention by the Turkish government.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced possible sanctions against Turkey, in retaliation for the treatment of Andrew Craig Brunson, who was detained in the aftermath of a failed 2016 coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The pastor is now under house arrest.

'SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES'

Two ministers were sanctioned for implementing Ankara’s "serious human rights abuses," the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release on Wednesday.

The two ministers are being targeted pursuant to executive order 13818, "Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption," which builds upon Global Magnitsky Act authorities, the release added.

Any property or interest in property of both Turkish ministers within US jurisdiction is blocked and Americans are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them, the Treasury said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Turkish government refused to release Brunson "after numerous conversations between President Trump and President Erdoğan," along with his conversations with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu. "President Trump concluded that these sanctions are the appropriate action," Pompeo said.

Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was placed under house arrest last week after nearly two years in jail.

Erdoğan has denied speculation that there had been an agreement to swap Brunson for Turkish citizens being held abroad, particularly 27-year-old Ebru Özkan. Özkan had been detained by Israel on terror-related charges, but was deported this month.

Erdoğan has also warned that Turkey would seek international arbitration if the United States refused to deliver F-35 fighter jets in retaliation.