Pastor’s house arrest stands in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court rejected an appeal Tuesday to end the house arrest of an American pastor who is at the center of a diplomatic row between Turkey and the United States, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.

The court in Izmir also refused to lift a travel ban that prevents Andrew Craig Brunson, 50, from leaving Turkey, ruling there was no change in the “strong criminal suspicion” against the pastor, the Anadolu news agency said.

Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, was arrested in December 2016 on espionage and terror-related charges. He had been jailed until he was released to home detention on July 25.

The evangelical Christian pastor denies any wrongdoing. He faces a prison sentence of up to 35 years if he is convicted on both counts at the end of his ongoing trial.

President Donald Trump has demanded Brunson’s release and talked about the possibility of sanctions against Turkey, a crucial NATO ally. The Turkish government has refused to back down, calling on the U.S. to respect Turkey’s judicial process.

Brunson was detained in the aftermath of a failed 2016 coup. He was accused of supporting outlawed Kurdish rebels and a network led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey blames Gulen for the unrest, but the cleric denies involvement in the coup attempt.