Dear colleague,

We posted an update about Andrew Brunson to EPConnection and our social media channels on Wednesday, and I wanted to make sure you had this information.

President Trump tweeted his support for Andrew following the conclusion of testimony and Andrew’s return to prison. If you haven’t seen it, his tweet reads:

“Pastor Andrew Brunson, a fine gentleman and Christian leader in the United States, is on trial and being persecuted in Turkey for no reason. They call him a Spy, but I am more a Spy than he is. Hopefully he will be allowed to come home to his beautiful family where he belongs!”

On Wednesday, Vice President Pence also tweeted on behalf of Andrew:

“Spoke to Pastor Brunson’s wife this week. Assured her of our prayers & @POTUS & I are monitoring his trial in Turkey. Pastor Brunson is a good & godly man who should be reunited w/ his family, friends & congregation. It’s time the Turkish govt release him. #FreeAndrewBrunson”

The media continues to publish reports of Andrew’s trial, and I am grateful that the mainstream press is picking up the story.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration warned Turkey that it is considering punitive “consequences” if Andrew is not released. The Post quoted Wess Mitchell, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. State Department, as saying the State Department is consulting with Congress about “possible measures” if Andrew is not acquitted or released.

The Wall Street Journal reported that as Andrew was being escorted from the courtroom at the end of the day, he turned to Norine and said, “I am going crazy here, I love you.”

In an 15-minute video interview available on the Christian Broadcasting Network website, Aykan Erdemir—a former member of the Turkish parliament and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C.—said Brunson’s 18-month, pre-trial imprisonment “has become a sort of torture.”

He also described Andrew’s demeanor during the trial’s opening phase:

“Right after the noon break when he came back and was defending himself he had a mental breakdown. He sat down; it’s reported that he started crying and he told the judge how difficult it is to survive in this kind of isolation chamber.”

I hope you will take the time to watch it because he provides an excellent evaluation of the indictment and criminal proceedings.

As I noted in my update to you on Monday afternoon, the judge adjourned the hearing until May 7 and ordered Andrew back to the prison. What I didn’t say was that Andrew was sent back to the prison where he was held from December 2016 through August 2017. This prison is notorious for its overcrowding—as many as 22 inmates are held in cells designed for eight prisoners.

While many of these updates have included a warning to not share the information publicly, this week’s media attention gives us an opportunity to keep Andrew’s situation in the public eye as much as possible. The entire world needs to know about Andrew, and both pray to the Lord and advocate to their leaders on Andrew’s behalf.

When you read articles from reputable news organizations about Andrew’s situation, please share them with your social media networks. If I report any sensitive information, I will only do so by email, and I will let you know that it is not to be shared.

Thank you very much for your prayers this week, and your continued prayers for the situation. Andrew and Norine know you are lifting them up in their frustration and discouragement.

Jeff