The United States Sanctions Two Turkish Ministers

In response to the continued detention of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor imprisoned in Turkey, the United States has sanctioned the Turkish ministers of interior and justice in Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. Washington claims that these two ministers were involved in the arrest and detention of Mr. Brunson. The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday, August 1, that it has sanctioned Abdulhamit Gul, the Minister of Justice, and Suleyman Soylu, the Minister of Interior, for their roles in Mr. Brunson's detention, stating that all their assets in the U.S. will be blocked and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them. The department described Mr. Brunson's detention, a 50-year-old American pastor, as unjust and stated that the continuation of this detention is unacceptable. According to Reuters, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has deemed Washington's decision as 'hostile' and added that it will retaliate. Andrew Brunson was arrested following the failed coup attempt in 2016 on charges of 'espionage' and 'terrorism' related to the Fethullah Gülen network and Kurdish insurgent groups. The charges against this American pastor, who has lived in Turkey for over two decades, could lead to a 35-year prison sentence. Mr. Brunson has denied these charges. Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, emphasized on Wednesday that Mr. Brunson has committed no wrongdoing and that his detention by the Turkish government is 'unjust and unfair.' Andrew Brunson was transferred to house arrest last week after 21 months in prison. He had recently requested that his house arrest be suspended until the trial, which the court rejected on Tuesday. According to the White House, President Donald Trump personally spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding Mr. Brunson. Last week, Mr. Trump also called for Mr. Brunson's immediate release in a Twitter message and threatened Turkey with heavy sanctions. In response to this threat, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu emphasized 'the rule of law' and stated that no one can instruct Ankara. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday regarding the sanctions imposed on Turkey that after several conversations between Mr. Trump and Mr. Erdogan and his own discussions with the Turkish Minister of Interior, Mr. Trump ultimately concluded that imposing sanctions was 'an appropriate action.' Mr. Pompeo will participate in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore this week, and according to the U.S. State Department, he is expected to meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister on the sidelines of this meeting.