Spotlight: American Christian clergyman to go on trial in Turkey

ANKARA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- An American pastor held in Turkey for one and a half years is to go on trial on Monday on terror-related charges in a publicized case that further strains relations between Ankara and Washington.

Andrew Brunson, a 50-year-old U.S. citizen from North Carolina who ran a church with a tiny congregation in western city of Izmir for more than two decades, was detained by Turkish authorities in October 2016 in the wake of an attempted coup and then remanded in custody.

The local press suggested several days prior to the beginning of his trial that the American national, who may face up to 35 years in prison on charges of espionage and terrorism, could possibly be set free at the first hearing in a signal to appease bilateral ties.

He is charged on the indictment with carrying out activities linked to the group led by the U.S.-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen who was accused of masterminding the failed coup in 2016 and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Both are banned by Turkey as terrorist groups.

Brunson faces two separate terms of 15 years and 20 years in prison on the charges, which will come to court on April 16 in Izmir, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.

However, the charges appear lighter than those outlined in the original indictment published on March 13, that Brunson was accused of being a member of Gulen's group and risked life imprisonment if convicted.

Gulen, who is based in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and who Turkey wants to see extradited to face trial, denies the charges of masterminding the failed coup in Turkey.

The Brunson case has been raised by U.S. President Donald Trump in talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The latter had suggested that the U.S. could exchange Gulen for Brunson in September 2017, but was brushed off by Washington.

Evangelical pastor Brunson was initially detained along with his wife Norine who was released in December 2016.

The indictment highlights the severity of the case in a country where there is no mercy against Gulen and his followers.

Turkey has launched a massive international crackdown to identify and punish suspected coup plotters and affiliates, accused of infiltrating the armed forces, the police and the judiciary. Since the coup attempt, more than 50,000 suspects have been jailed or convicted.

Turkey-U.S. relations have soured badly over American support for Kurdish militia in Syria and the detention of two Turkish nationals working for U.S. missions in Turkey.

Moreover, Washington's refusal to hand over Gulen and differences on other issues have fueled an anti-American resentment amongst Turks.

Ahead of the first hearing of Brunson's case, a U.S. senator was authorized to visit him in prison. According to the Hurriyet Daily News, the U.S. State Department is now pushing for a new visit, wanting to send a U.S. official to observe the court case, pending authorization from the Ankara government. Enditem