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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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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

After one day of trial, the situation just took a bleak turn for Pastor Andrew.

At the conclusion of the first day of his trial – a day filled with video testimony of secret prosecution witnesses whose voices and appearances were disguised – the Turkish judge ordered that Pastor Andrew be returned to the notoriously overcrowded and grim prison, where Pastor Brunson was originally imprisoned. The judge refused to release Pastor Andrew.

The judge ordered that the trial not resume until May 7th.

The delay and return to a much worse prison is an escalation of his case.

Pastor Andrew is on trial because of his Christian faith. The 62-page indictment accuses him of the supposed “crime” of  “Christianization,” calling it an act of terror. If convicted, he faces a 35-year prison sentence – which for the 50-year-old pastor is essentially a life sentence.

Today’s ruling sends him back to a prison he had been in months ago – a prison that is severely overcrowded with almost two dozen inmates packed into a small cell.

This places Pastor Andrew in further danger.

ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow stated:

Instead of being returned to the prison where he had been held most recently, the judge ordered Pastor Andrew to be taken back to an overcrowded and extremely grim prison where he was held initially.  As you can imagine, the news is devastating to Pastor Andrew and his family.

At the American Center for Law and Justice – we are stepping up our aggressive campaign to secure the freedom of Pastor Andrew.  Between now and the next court date of May 7th – we have an important opportunity – to turn up the pressure on the Turkish government.

The next three weeks are critical for Pastor Andrew and his family.  Stand with the ACLJ as we work on the international front as well as at the highest levels of our government to keep Pastor Andrew's case in the headlines.  We are grateful for everyone who has stood with us during the legal battle.  But these next three weeks are VERY CRITICAL. We have to turn up the pressure – work even harder to secure the release of Pastor Andrew.

We are aggressively fighting for his freedom. We must increase the diplomatic pressure on Turkey to release this innocent U.S. citizen. The fact that Senator Tillis – Pastor Andrew’s home state Senator – and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback were present at today’s trial is an important step.

Turkey must understand that as a NATO ally it cannot be allowed to continue wrongfully imprisoning an innocent U.S. citizen.

We are aggressively working in Congress, with the State Department and the White House, and at the U.N. to fight for Pastor Andrew’s freedom. He needs your voice now more than ever.

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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...