Concerns raised for American Missionary Couple in Turkey

Concerns raised for American Missionary Couple in Turkey

By Michael Ireland, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)

IZMIR, TURKEY (ANS, Oct. 26, 2016) – Turkish officials arrested and detained an American couple on October 7 in the coastal city of Izmir on grounds of conducting activities constituted as “national security risks.”

Voice of the Persecuted (https://voiceofthepersecuted.wordpress.com) received an update on the couple, Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine’s situation as of late Friday, October 21.

The ministry said Norine and Andrew have been living in Turkey for 23 years, running a church with the full knowledge of the local authorities, said Lois Kanalos, Founder/Advocate, Voice Of The Persecuted, www.voiceofthepersecuted.org.

“They were summoned to the police department on Friday, October 7, for what they assumed would be questions about their recent residency application. Upon their arrival they were presented with a letter from Ankara labeling them a threat to national security and ordering their deportation. They were immediately detained, their phones were confiscated, and they were completely isolated from the outside world,” Voice of the Persecuted said in an update.

The ministry said the authorities denied repeated requests from their lawyers, the US State Department, and friends to see them or communicate with them in any way.

“They were explicitly forbidden from having a Bible, and were not allowed to receive books or any change of clothes. Andrew’s glasses and watch were taken away. They were told that their government had forgotten about them and that ‘hopefully’ they would be deported, suggesting that they might simply disappear and never be heard from again.”

The ministry said Norine was released after 12 days (Oct. 19) and verbally told that all charges against her were dropped, but her lawyer has told her that is almost certainly not true, given that nothing was put in writing. She was allowed to see Andrew for half an hour on October 20, but was denied any access on October 21. Apart from Norine, Andrew has had no contact with the outside world since October 7.

In the update, Voice of the Persecuted said: “Norine and Andrew explicitly waived their right to protest the deportation, and yet there has been no deportation to date. The right to legal counsel is guaranteed under Turkish law, and the right of the US State Department to visit detained US citizens is guaranteed by 36(1)(c) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which Turkey has ratified. Both of these rights have clearly been violated.”

The ministry update continued: “At this point, the priority is to get Norine and Andrew safely out of Turkey, something entirely in keeping with the deportation order. Norine’s current visa expires on November 10, and though she might be forced to leave at any time, she really does not want to leave the country without Andrew. Norine is also concerned that her husband might be transferred from the current immigration center to a prison. Prison in that environment is entirely different from prison in the United States, and often includes people disappearing and without ever being heard from again.”

The ministry explained: “There are far more serious charges supposedly brought against them, but none of it in writing, and none of it with any semblance of transparency or accountability. Those charges cannot be discussed openly, but Norine indicates that it’s difficult to overstate how dangerous the situation is.”

Voice of the Persecuted said: “The new objective is to see Norine and Andrew safely released from Turkey. They are willing and ready to comply with the deportation order, and yet the authorities continue to hold Andrew. Very little progress has been made through normal channels, so we will now start pressing the issue through Congress, through the media, and through the Turkish embassy.”

They stated: “It is time to press Turkey for Norine and Andrew’s rights to be restored. If the objective was to deport them, why detain them and deny them rights guaranteed under both Turkish and international law? Where are they being held and why have the charges not been stated in writing? Why hold them in isolation and confiscate things like Andrew’s glasses?”

Anyone reading this is encouraged to help spread the word. If you have media contacts, or know how to effectively disseminate this information, please contact: info@voiceofthepersecuted.org.

The ministry update concluded: “As always, your continued prayers are much appreciated, and we know that God will cause good to come from this.”

See previous story here: http://tinyurl.com/h4zon4y

PLEASE ACT NOW by:

**Praying and sharing this urgent prayer request.

**Praying that Andrew would be released from detention.

**Praying that the authorities would not discriminate against Christians in Turkey.

**Praying for religious freedom in Turkey.

**Contacting your elected officials asking them to take immediate and serious action for the release of these two Americans, our brother and sister in Christ Jesus.

How to Contact Your Federal, State and Local Elected Officials https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Photo captions: 1) Norine and Andrew Brunson. 2) Voice of the Persecuted logo. 3) Michael Ireland.

About the Writer: Michael Ireland is a volunteer internet journalist serving as Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, as well as an Ordained Minister who has served with ASSIST Ministries and written for ASSIST News Service since its beginning in 1989. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China, and Russia. Please consider helping Michael cover his expenses in bringing news of the Persecuted Church, by logging-on to: https://actintl.givingfuel.com/ireland-michael

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