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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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Save Christians From Murder in Congo

Save Christians From Murder in...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has once again become the site of unspeakable violence , with Christian communities being targeted by terrorists and militant forces. On February 15, over 70 Christians – primarily women, children, and the elderly – were added to the list of victims when they were abducted...More

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Andrew Brunson

American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who is wrongfully imprisoned in Turkey for his Christian faith spoke with U.S. embassy officials today, pleading with President Trump, “please help me.”

Pastor Andrew – a U.S. citizen – faces false charges in Turkey of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” After peacefully serving the people of Turkey for more than 23 years without any issues from the Turkish government, this U.S. citizen now languishes in prison.

Pastor Andrew delivered the following statement today to U.S. embassy officials who were able to meet with him in the prison:

Will the Turkish government face no consequence for stubbornly continuing to hold an American citizen as a political prisoner?  Even though I have a long public track record as a church pastor, they falsely accuse me of being a member of an Islamist terrorist group. I have been imprisoned since October 7, 2016. During this time the Turkish government has produced no proof and has rebuffed numerous attempts by the American government to secure my return to the United States. In fact they are treating the US government with contempt and paying no price for it.

I plead with my government – with the Trump Administration – to fight for me.  I ask the State Department to impose sanctions. I appeal to President Trump:  please help me. Let the Turkish government know that you will not cooperate with them in any way until they release me. Please do not leave me here in prison.

We echo Pastor Andrew’s call. The U.S. government must take a more active role in fighting for Pastor Andrew’s release. He has done nothing wrong. He is a U.S. citizen wrongfully imprisoned in a foreign land because of his Christian faith. He deserves to be free.

Pastor Andrew should be immediately released and allowed to return to his wife and children in the U.S. who desperately miss him.

At the ACLJ, we continue to represent Pastor Andrew and are engaged in an aggressive legal advocacy campaign across the globe for his freedom.

Do not let him be forgotten.  Be Pastor Andrew’s voice.  Amplify his plea: “Please do not leave me here in prison.”

Join with over 233,000 others who have signed our petition for his freedom. Take action (below and) at BeHeardProject.com.

493,745

Signatures

Thibault van den Bossche  //

Dec 03, 2025

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey at the end of November marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first “ecumenical” council in Christian history. Behind the ceremonial receptions lies a harsh...

Jordan Sekulow  //

Dec 20, 2024

A Christian pastor of a home church, Mojtaba Ahmadi, faces being sent back to Iran, where he has already endured over 170 days of brutal torture for his faith in Christ. The ACLJ is advocating at the U.N. for...

CeCe Heil  //

Jun 12, 2020

Christians within India are increasingly becoming the target of brutal persecution. And at the ACLJ, we’ve witnessed first-hand the escalation in targeted persecution of these Christians. For seven months, we...