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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

Earlier this week, one of North Carolina’s U.S. Senators, Thom Tillis, was able to visit American Pastor Andrew Brunson in the Turkish prison. Senator Tillis has been following the situation of his constituent very closely, and was able to arrange a visit, which was very timely, following the recent indictment. The indictment against Pastor Andrew is a 62-page document which claims that his crime is “Christianization” acting as “an agent of unconventional warfare” under the “mask of an evangelical church pastor.”

It is now clearer than ever that Turkey is targeting Pastor Andrew specifically because of his Christian faith.

The indictment goes on to give accounts from “secret witnesses,” one of whom is code named “Dua,” or “Prayer,” who gives his interpretation of Christianity. Within the roughly 25 pages containing his preposterous allegations, he opines that “In the Christian faith; the beginning of the battle known as Armageddon is mentioned.” He goes on to say that Protestants believe that President Erdoğan is the antichrist and that American Protestants are “counting on being forerunners in the war to come . . . .” He further states that the war will be initiated by Israel, and that Protestants believe that “all humans are slaves of the sons of Israel and Protestants.” Dua’s account makes up almost half of the entire indictment and lacks any substance or evidence to support any of his ridiculous claims.

Furthermore, such claims are not only a gross mischaracterization of Christianity, but offensive. Pastor Andrew has spent over 23 years of his life peacefully serving the people of Turkey as a Christian pastor, and should not be imprisoned for simply living out his faith.

But Pastor Andrew remains in prison, now for almost a year and a half, desperately missing his family. He is currently preparing for his first trial date on April 16th. We will continue working on Capitol Hill, with the State Department, and the White House to secure his release. In addition, we’re urging the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to intervene in the case.

Please join with us as we continue to demand Pastor Andrew’s release, as well as thanking Senator Tillis for standing by Pastor Andrew in this critical time.

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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...