Tillis, Shaheen, Lankford, & Graham Issue Joint Statement on Turkey’s Continued Imprisonment of Andrew Brunson | Eastern NC Now

Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), James Lankford (R-OK), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued the following joint statement after a Turkish court in Izmir ordered American citizen Andrew Brunson to remain imprisoned until his trial resumes on October 12

ENCNow
Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), James Lankford (R-OK), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued the following joint statement after a Turkish court in Izmir ordered American citizen Andrew Brunson to remain imprisoned until his trial resumes on October 12:

  • "Pastor Andrew Brunson has languished in a Turkish prison for the last two years, causing tremendous hardship and heartache for him and his family. He is an innocent man and has been unlawfully detained simply because he is an American pastor who assists all those in need, no matter their ethnicity or religious beliefs. Turkey and the United States are longstanding NATO allies and it is imperative to the interests of both nations that Turkey starts behaving like one. We call for the immediate release of Pastor Brunson and other American citizens currently detained in Turkey, including Serkan Golge. We encourage the Administration to use all the tools at their disposal to ensure the release of these innocent people before Congress is forced to press for even stricter legislative measures that will be difficult to unwind."

    Pastor Andrew Brunson has been wrongfully imprisoned by the Turkish Government since October 7, 2016. In April, Pastor Brunson was indicted on bogus charges related to terrorism and espionage, and faces up to 35 years in prison. Senators Tillis, Shaheen, Lankford, and Graham led a bipartisan letter signed by 71 senators to President Erdogan calling for his release. Senator Tillis has visited Turkey twice, including meeting with Pastor Brunson and attending his trial on April 16th. Senators Shaheen and Graham visited Turkey earlier this month and met with Pastor Brunson. The senators also met with President Erdogan and pressed for Pastor Brunson's release.

    In response to Turkey's actions, Senators Tillis and Shaheen secured a provision in the Senate's FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to Congress to remove the Government of Turkey from participation in the F-35 program. The provision is in-part based on standalone legislation introduced by Senators Lankford, Tillis, and Shaheen. Shaheen and Lankford also worked with Graham to include targeted sanctions against Turkish officials complicit in the unlawful arrest of Americans, in this year's Fiscal Year 2019 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill.

  • Contact: Daniel Keylin
  •     daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published )
Enter Your Comment ( text only please )




Incumbent Budd holds slim lead in 13th CD race, Civitas Poll finds Press Releases: Elected office holders, Op-Ed & Politics, Bloodless Warfare: Politics Wake County Hispanic Republicans Face Recruitment Challenge


HbAD0

Latest Bloodless Warfare: Politics

Tax Day is a week away, and the reports are in: North Carolinians are winning big with record-setting tax returns thanks to President Trump and Republicans' Working Families Tax Cuts.
Change in schedule for executive committee meeting. Meeting Thursday April 9 is cancelled.
After years in the limelight for his combative style both with Democrats and his fellow Republicans, Crenshaw's future now unsure.
If he wins in November, Teixeira will be the all-time Congressional home run leader.
The county boards of elections in Guilford and Rockingham counties on Tuesday morning will begin a partial hand recount of ballots in randomly selected precincts in the N.C. Senate District 26 contest between candidates Phil Berger and Sam Page.
The 1926 Beaufort County Republican Convention will be held at the court house on Thursday April 6 at 6:00 PM. Be there by 5:30 in order to register. There is a 5 dollar fee.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger has requested a recount in the SD-28 Republican primary against challenger Sheriff Sam Page, after the race ended with one of the narrowest margins in recent North Carolina election history.
North Carolinians are feeling historic relief this tax season thanks to President Trump and Republicans' Working Families Tax Cuts, as the average refund tops $3,700.
(RALEIGH) Today Governor Josh Stein and First Lady Anna Stein visited Green Magnet Elementary School and read to students in celebration of Read Across America Day.

HbAD1

In-person early voting for the 2026 primary election begins Thursday and ends at 3 p.m. February 28 in all 100 counties.
On occasion, the election season has a way of bringing forth much good fruit, which is often the case when hard working and intelligent agents of stability, through changing the dynamic of our societal path, join the political paradigm to help we, the self-governed, do far better for ourselves.
In Commissioner Deatherage's Campaign for Re-election, as your Conservative County Commissioner, Washington Mayor Pro Tem Nick Fritz endorsed Candidate Stan Deatherage to remain in office to lead a Conservative renaissance here in Beaufort County.
The Republican party has transformed in a number of ways over the past 20 years.
The Sheriff then stated he worked for the judicial branch. That was enough internet for me in one day. I could feel my brain shrinking.
The GDP numbers tell the story: President Trump's economic agenda is delivering real results for North Carolinians.
This week marks the start of tax season - and thanks to President Trump and Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, North Carolinians are keeping more of what they earn.

HbAD2

Conservative club meets Thursday January 29 at 6:00 PM at King Chicken Restaurant. This is our second meeting this month.
The Thursday, January 8th meeting of the Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee ended after Washington City police were called to the Beaufort County Ag Center at the request of Committee Chair Carolyn Garris.
A federal judge will not issue an injunction blocking local Watauga County election districts created by the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly.
The State Board of Elections will hold a remote meeting via WebEx at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments over allowing states to ban biological males from competing in women's sports.
The Republican queen Garris has issued an edict last night declaring me along with Sheri Clark and Janet Knight to have tripped the switch to have automatically resigned from the Beaufort County Republican executive committee.
The company's mortgages cost $4,600 more than competitors' on average.
For the first time in state history, registered Republicans now outnumber registered Democrats in North Carolina, according to the most recent voter registration snapshot based on data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

HbAD3

 
 
Back to Top