President Trump has successfully negotiated the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson from the Muslim nation of Turkey.
Brunson was arrested in 2016 after a failed coup attempt resulted in President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan jailing more than 50,000 teachers, politicians, journalists, and others.
Charged with the crime of "Christianization," the North Carolina pastor was accused of aiding political groups the Turkish government considers terrorist organizations. If convicted, Bronson would have spent the next 35 years of his life in prison.
Brunson professed his innocence, as did the U.S. government. Both President Trump and Vice President Pence denounced the imprisonment on multiple occasions.
In July of this year, Brunson, who had lived and worked in Turkey for 20 years, was allowed to live under house arrest instead of incarceration, but Turkish authorities refused to fully release him.
On Friday, October 12, Brunson was sentenced to three years and one month in prison but was released because he already served two years in detention.
