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U.S. Rep. Brian Babin issued the following statement regarding yesterday’s unjust decision by a Turkish court to keep Andrew Brunson, an American Christian pastor falsely accused of treason, in custody in Turkey:  

“Pastor Brunson’s arrest and ongoing incarceration is a disgrace and a miscarriage of justice. It is shameful to accuse a Christian pastor who has preached for more than 25 years in Turkey of treason. Such actions show just how far Turkey, one of our own NATO allies, has fallen under the rule of dictator Recep Erdoğan. This man has stripped millions of people of their most basic rights, including freedom of religion, and he should pay a heavy price for this outrage. We witnessed his extreme actions first hand on our own soil last year when he sent his guards to attack peaceful protesters and American law enforcement officers outside of the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C. I am calling for Turkey to immediately release Brunson. I also think that it may be time to re-evaluate our formerly good relationship with this repressive regime.”