A Turkish court again rejected an appeal to release American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest, broadcaster Haberturk said on Friday.

Brunson, an Evangelical pastor residing in the coastal province of Izmir, is standing trial in Turkey over terrorism charges.

His case now lies at the heart of a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the U.S. that has prompted a crash of Turkey’s lira currency.

The lira, which has lost some 40 per cent of its value this year, weakened beyond 6.21 against the U.S. dollar after the news, from 6.04 beforehand. </s> Turkish authorities are sending signals that Pastor Andrew Brunson could be released next month.

The Wall Street Journal reports Turkish officials say a judge could free Brunson when he appears in court on October 12, but only if the US stops putting pressure on the country to send him back to the states.

The Turkish government moved Brunson from jail to house arrest in July. Although the 50-year-old pastor has ministered in the country for more than two decades, the Turkish government charged Brunson with conspiring against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rule during a 2016 attempted coup.

The Trump administration calls those charges bogus and has made securing Brunson's freedom a priority.

"I don't think there's ever been any administration, any president that has brought up a prisoner of conscience, a prisoner who's in prison because of his faith, more than any other one than President Reagan did for Natan Sharansky. So, this is historic in that how many times they have actually brought this subject up in high level conversations with the Turkish administration," Middle East and Islamic Affairs Analyst Mike Kerem told CBN News.

The Trump Administration went beyond talking, leveling sanctions on Turkey that put its currency into a free fall. However, U.S. officials said the administration decided to ease off amid fear that Turkey's economic difficulties could spread to other emerging markets.

"All of the secular media without exception are saying 'A pastor, who cares about a pastor?' The trade with Turkey is much more important. The value of the Lira is much more important," says Michael Youseff from Leading the Way ministry. "But the Trump administration is saying 'no,' a pastor who is in prison and being persecuted is important to us and we're willing to really put our money where our mouth are we're willing to take a strong stand."

Evangelist Franklin Graham recently called on Christians to pray and for the US to be careful.

"First, I would ask that everyone who's watching now to pray for Andrew Brunson. He's been falsely accused and this is just a sham. He needs to come home. He hasn't done anything wrong. But Turkey, you have to remember that this is a country that is fast becoming a radical Islamic state. I think we need to get Brunson home and we need to be careful whatever we do as a country until they change leadership and change the direction they're going," he said. </s> The İzmir 3rd High Criminal Court on Friday rejected an appeal to release American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest, Reuters reported.

Brunson’s previous appeal to the 2nd High Criminal Court was also rejected on Tuesday.

Brunson, an evangelical pastor residing in the coastal province of İzmir, is standing trial in Turkey over terrorism charges. His case now lies at the heart of a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the United States that has prompted a crash of Turkey’s lira currency.

The lira, which has lost some 40 percent of its value this year, weakened beyond 6.21 against the US dollar after the news, from 6.04 beforehand.

“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!” US President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday.

The US had previously imposed sanctions on Turkey’s justice and interior ministers over the Brunson case. </s> The Department of Treasury will sanction Turkey's Minister of Justice and Minister of Interior for the arrest and detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson.

"We've seen no evidence that pastor Brunson has done anything wrong and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday.

"As a result, any property or interest in property of both ministers within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them," Sanders added referring further questions to the Treasury Department.

In October 2016, Turkey detained American pastor Andrew Brunson because he was accused of spying and attempting to overthrow the government. Brunson has denied all charges.

Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey have intensified over Brunson's trial and his continued detainment. Ankara recently transferred the American citizen to house arrest. Last week, President Donald Trump threatened to slap "large sanctions" on Turkey unless it freed Brunson.

"The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being," Trump wrote in a tweet. "He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!"

"To President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have a message on behalf of the president of the United States of America: release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be prepared to face the consequences," Pence told a religious freedom conference hosted by the U.S. State Department.

At the time, neither Trump nor Pence elaborated on what kind of sanctions they could impose.

The tweets prompted an angry response from Ankara and further escalated tensions between the two NATO allies. A spokesman for Turkish president Erdogan said Tuesday that Ankara will retaliate against any U.S. sanctions.

Meanwhile, all of this comes as Congress is inching closer to blocking the transfer of two F-35 jets to NATO ally Turkey. </s> A Turkish court has convicted an American pastor at the center of a Turkish-American diplomatic dispute of terror charges, but has released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey.

The court near the western city of Izmir on Friday sentenced Andrew Brunson to 3 years and 1 month in prison for the conviction, but since the evangelical pastor has already spent two years in detention he won't serve more time.

Brunson, 50, had rejected the espionage and terror-related charges and strongly maintained his innocence.

Lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt said Brunson was expected to leave Turkey for the United States

Turkish soldiers stand guard outside the entrance to Aliaga Prison Court after American pastor Andrew Brunson arrived ahead of his court hearing on October 12, 2018 in Izmir, Turkey.

The pastor told the court he is "an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey."

The United States has repeatedly called for his release.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> The Latest: Turkish minister shrugs off sanctions for pastor

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on an American pastor detained in Turkey (all times local):

Turkey's justice minister has shrugged off a U.S. decision to impose sanctions against him and another Turkish government minister, saying he doesn't have a penny to his name anywhere outside Turkey.

The U.S. announced sanctions against Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over the detention of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the ministers' agencies were responsible for the pastor's arrest and detention.

Gul took to Twitter on Wednesday to say that he had no assets outside Turkey and that he dreamt of owning "a small olive grove" in his Turkish hometown.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted: "The U.S. attempt to impose sanctions will not remain without an answer."

Turkey is calling on the United States to reverse its decision to sanction two Turkish government ministers over a detained American pastor and is threatening to retaliate "without delay."

A Foreign Ministry statement issued Wednesday said Turkey "strongly protests" the U.S. Treasury's decision to impose sanctions against Turkey's justice and interior ministers. It said Turkey would "respond in kind without delay" against what it described as an aggressive stance by the United States.

President Donald Trump had warned last week that he might impose sanctions against Turkey for its treatment of Andrew Craig Brunson, who is under arrest in Turkey and accused of espionage and aiding terror groups.

The ministry called the sanctions a "disrespectful intervention in our legal system" that would harm "the constructive efforts toward resolving problems between the two countries."

The White House is announcing that the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on two Turkish officials over a detained American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Trump administration will sanction Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior over the holding of 50-year-old Andrew Craig Brunson.

The administration says Turkey's Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu both played leading roles in the organizations responsible for Brunson's arrest and detention.

Brunson, an evangelical pastor, was arrested in December 2016 and jailed. He was recently released to home detention.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (REH'-jehp TY'-ihp UR'-doh-wahn) has said his government won't back down and may "go its own way" if the U.S. imposes sanctions. </s> Wednesday, the Department of Treasury sanctioned top two top Turkish officials on the President’s direction over the detention of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson.

“Pastor Brunson’s unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately.”

Earlier this week, pastor Brunson was moved from prison to an apartment where he remains under house arrest, but U.S. officials still issued sanctions to Turkey’s Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu who played leading roles in the organizations responsible for Brunson’s arrest and detention, according to the WH.

The 50-year-old pastor was detained in the aftermath of an alleged military coup in 2016 on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member” and espionage.

The U.S. and Turkey are NATO allies, but the detainment of pastor Brunson has sparked escalation between the two countries.

Josh Hall, an American who had been held in Venezuela on weapons charges for nearly two years was released and returned to the U.S. in May of this year.

Pastor Brunson maintains his innocence with the support of the Trump administration.

“The President has been closely following the ongoing situation in Turkey involving Pastor Andrew Brunson,” said Press Secretary Sarah Sanders at the daily White House briefing.”We’ve seen no evidence that pastor Brunson has done anything wrong and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey.”

The post Trump admin sanctions Turkish officials over detained American pastor appeared first on 850 WFTL. </s> CLOSE

U.S. pastor Andrew Craig Brunson is escorted by Turkish police officers to his house in Izmir on July 25, 2018. A Turkish court on Aug. 17, 2018, rejected an appeal for his release on charges of links to groups opposed to the government. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Only hours after a Turkish court rejected an appeal on Friday for the release of a U.S. pastor from house arrest, President Donald Trump said Ankara had acted "very, very badly" in the case and the United States was "not going to take it sitting down."

Turkey has been holding pastor Andrew Brunson for two years on charges that he is linked to the Fethullah Gülen Movement, which Turkey says was responsible for a failed coup attempt in 2016.

The 50-year-old pastor and the U.S. government vehemently deny those charges.

"They made up this phony charge that he is a spy, and he is not a spy," Trump told reporters.

A higher court in Izmir upheld a lower-court decision that rejected the lifting of Brunson's house arrest, according to the state-run Anadolu agency and the newspaper HaberTurk. It also rejected an appeal for his travel ban to be lifted, Anadolu reported.

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

"They should have given him back a long time ago," the president said. "And Turkey has in my opinion acted very very badly. We haven't seen the last of that. We are not going to stake it sitting down. They can't take our people."

Even before Friday's court decision, Trump — who calls Brunson "our wonderful Christian pastor" — had warned of new economic sanctions if the protestant clergyman is not freed

"We will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man, but we are cutting back on Turkey!!" he said in a tweet Friday.

The U.S. recently slapped financial sanctions on two Turkish ministers and doubled steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey over the pastor's continued detention, causing economic upheaval in Turkey.

In retaliation, Turkey on Wednesday imposed tariffs on certain U.S. goods.

The Turkish lira fell 5 percent Friday after the Turkish court released its decision.

Brunson, who attended Wheaton College, has lived in Turkey for more than two decades as pastor of a small local church. Vice President Mike Pence has been especially outspoken on the Brunson case, particularly before Christian audiences.

On Tuesday, Pence tweeted that Brunson is innocent and "justice demands that he be released." He said Turkey would "do well not to test @POTUS Trump's resolve" over the issue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has bristled at such U.S. pressure.

“I call out to those in the United States. It is a shame,” Erdogan said in a speech on Saturday. “You are trading a strategic NATO ally for a priest.”

Brunson was indicted on charges of “acting in a parallel and coordinated fashion” with Turkey’s two chief enemies: the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and a network run by Gülen.

U.S. authorities have rebuffed efforts by Turkey for the extradition of Gülen, who lives in Pennsylvania.

Erdogan, hinting at a trade for Brunson, said in a speech last year that if the U.S. turned over Gülen to the Turkish authorities "we will do what we can in the judiciary to give you this one."

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2MsuB9T </s> ALIAGA, Turkey — A Turkish court convicted an American pastor at the center of a Turkish-American diplomatic dispute of terror charges, but has released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey.

The court near the western city of Izmir on Friday sentenced Andrew Brunson to three years and one month in prison for the conviction, but since the evangelical pastor has already spent two years in detention, he won’t serve more time.

Brunson, 50, had rejected the espionage and terror-related charges and strongly maintained his innocence.

Lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt said Brunson was expected to leave Turkey for the United States
The United States warns Turkey of consequences if pastor Andrew Brunson isn't freed.