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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

Today – the 313th day of American Pastor Andrew Brunson’s wrongful imprisonment in Turkey because of his Christian faith –the State Department released a report on International Religious Freedom, highlighting Pastor Andrew’s plight.

Although the report analyzes freedom violations across the world, in his remarks, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson specifically addressed the plight of Pastor Andrew. He  stated, “[T]he United States continues to advocate for the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson who has been wrongfully imprisoned in Turkey.”

Secretary Tillerson opened his remarks by stating the purpose of the report and the requirement of the law that the U.S. must stand:

“for liberty and with the persecuted, to use and implement appropriate tools in the United States foreign policy apparatus, including diplomatic, political, commercial, charitable, educational, and cultural channels, to promote respect for religious freedom by all governments and peoples.”

As previously reported, Pastor Andrew has been wrongfully detained in Turkey since October 7th of last year, after serving as a pastor in Turkey for over 23 years.

As we approach almost a year of Pastor Andrew languishing in a prison cell, there has yet to be any formal indictment handed down, although one was promised months ago. As Secretary Tillerson stated in his remarks regarding religious freedom, “[w]e cannot ignore these conditions.” We must continue to increase our efforts to make sure Pastor Andrew is released to be reunited with his family and once again is able to enjoy the religious freedom to which he is entitled.

We are continuing our aggressive global legal advocacy, including at the highest levels of the U.S. government, for Pastor Andrew’s freedom. Please join us by signing and sharing our petition to Free Pastor Andrew.

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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...