American pastor jailed in Turkey pleads with Trump to help secure his release

An American pastor who was imprisoned in Turkey due to his alleged ties to a terrorist organization is pleading with President Donald Trump to "fight" for his release.

Pastor Andrew Brunson, who carried out his ministry in the Turkish coastal town of Izmir for two decades, has been in custody since October last year after he and his wife were called in by Turkish authorities for a routine visa check.

Brunson was able to deliver a written statement to U.S. embassy officials when they came to visit him in prison on Tuesday, The Christian Post reported.

"I have been imprisoned since October 7, 2016. During this time the Turkish government has produced no proof and has rebuffed numerous attempts by the American government to secure my return to the United States. In fact they are treating the U.S. government with contempt and paying no price for it," the pastor wrote.

Brunson defended his long track record as a pastor and insisted that he has been falsely accused of being a member of a terrorist group.

"I plead with my government – with the Trump Administration – to fight for me. I ask the State Department to impose sanctions. I appeal to President Trump: please help me. Let the Turkish government know that you will not cooperate with them in any way until they release me. Please do not leave me here in prison," he continued.

Earlier this month, Brunson's 19-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, pleaded for an audience with Trump and asked for his help in securing his release. She said that the family believes that it would be helpful to have the president personally argue for the pastor's case to get him back home safely.

Brunson's case has been taken up by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who personally traveled to the Turkish capital of Ankara last December to learn more about the charges against the pastor.

In a recent letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Lankford pointed out that Congress had granted the Executive Branch with sanction authority to use against government officials who are responsible for human rights violations. He stated that the U.S. government must not allow American citizens to spend time in a foreign prison without a concrete plan to secure their release.