A Turkish court ruled on Friday to release the US evangelical Christian pastor at the center of a bitter diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington, a move that could be the first step towards mending ties between the NATO allies.
BRUNSON WAS A SUSPECT ON THE FAILED 2016 COUP ATTEMPT
The court passed a 3 years and 1-1/2 month sentence on Andrew Brunson, who had been charged with terrorism offenses, but said he would not serve any further time because he had already been detained since October 2016.
The case against Brunson, had led to US tariffs against Turkey and drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump. Brunson was charged with links to PKK terrorists and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson denied the accusation and Washington had demanded his immediate release.