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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

Turkey is continuing its gambit to extort the United States, holding innocent American Pastor Andrew Brunson hostage.

The Turkish court once again denied another appeal for Pastor Andrew’s release from house arrest and the removal of the travel ban against him. In short, they are refusing to let this innocent American come home.

President Trump has made it clear that he is not resting on Pastor Andrew’s case, and the U.S. will not cave to Turkey and their outlandish demands.

The President had strong words for Turkey as he addressed reporters at the White House.

“They should have given him back a long time ago, and Turkey has in my opinion acted very, very badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “So, we haven’t seen the last of that. We are not going to take it sitting down. They can’t take our people.”

The President also sent a message directly to Pastor Andrew through Twitter, calling him a “wonderful Christian pastor” and letting Pastor Andrew know that he considers him a “patriot hostage.”

Turkey has taken advantage of the United States for many years. They are now holding our wonderful Christian Pastor, who I must now ask to represent our Country as a great patriot hostage. We will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man, but we are cutting back on Turkey!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018

We recently told you that Pastor Andrew had been released from a Turkish prison and was allowed to return to his house in Turkey where he currently remains under house arrest. But they will not let him come home to America.

Pastor Andrew has been wrongfully detained in Turkey for over 679 days.

As ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow stated:

In diplomacy, sometimes you hit a bump in the road. Clearly we have hit such a bump.

While I remain hopeful for the expeditious release of Pastor Andrew, let me be clear that we fully support the President's action in refusing to pay a ransom to Turkey – a NATO ally – for the release of an innocent man.

We support the President and his efforts to continue to place economic pressure on Turkey. As President Trump has stated, Pastor Andrew – who is being punished because of his Christian faith – is a “great patriot.”

The ACLJ continues to represent Pastor Andrew’s family, and we have mobilized our international resources – including ACLJ-affiliated offices in the region – to tirelessly advocate for his freedom.

We have also launched a global legal advocacy campaign as we fight for Pastor Andrew’s freedom. The world must unite with one voice to end this injustice against an innocent Christian Pastor and demand Turkey release Pastor Andrew now.

He needs your voice too.

600,555

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...