Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I am here for what I hope will be the last time to talk about a subject I have come to the floor and discussed virtually every week we have been here since I went and visited a man who has been in a Turkish prison since October 7, 2016.

His name is Andrew Brunson. He is a Presbyterian minister from North Carolina who, in 2016, under emergency orders in Turkey, President Erdogan ended up ordering the arrest of a number of people, many of whom I think were probably involved in the illegal coup attempt.

To the extent that evidence demonstrates they were, they should be held accountable for their actions, but, unfortunately, thousands of people--journalists, people of faith, and a number of other people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, like a NASA scientist who already spent 2\1/2\ years in prison--were also arrested. They were also put in prison.

In the case of Pastor Brunson, he spent almost 17 months in a Turkish prison, in a cell designed for 8 people that had 21 people in it. None of the others were even English-speaking. Then, about 17 months into it, he had an indictment against him. It was about a 70-page document. It is a document I have read. Quite honestly, I don't think a first- year law student or a magistrate anywhere would consider the allegations in this indictment as worthy of any prosecution--certainly not enough to keep somebody in our U.S. justice system in prison overnight, let alone now 734 days.

The 2-year anniversary was just on Sunday. I called Pastor Brunson Sunday morning to speak with him, to see how he is doing and how his wife Noreen is doing. Noreen has been in the country the whole time because she is afraid that if she leaves the country, they will not let her come back.

After the last hearing, the Turkish officials allowed Pastor Brunson to be placed under house arrest. He can't leave his house. He has an electric monitor, but the fact is, he is still incarcerated. He is still worried about the very real possibility that he could be convicted for up to 35 years in prison.

The reason I hope this is the last speech I have to give is, tomorrow is what many of us believe may be the last time that he is in a courtroom. I hope President Erdogan and their justice system find justice for Pastor Brunson. What that justice looks like to me, regardless of whatever conclusion the Turkish courts draw--innocence or guilt--is that they simply complete the judicial process in Turkey and return Pastor Brunson and his wife Noreen back to the United States, most likely back to Western North Carolina.

I visited Pastor Brunson in a Turkish prison about 6 months ago, after I heard he was concerned that once the indictment was issued against him, the American people would read that indictment and just forget about him. It was important for me to go to Turkey, to go to that Turkish prison just outside of Izmir, Turkey--one of the major cities in Turkey--and look him eye to eye and say: I will never forget you.

Since that meeting, and after that meeting in prison, we had some 70 Members of the U.S. Senate from both sides of the aisle sign on to a letter to send a very clear message to Pastor Brunson that we are not going to forget him and also a very clear message to Turkey that there will be a consequence if we have a miscarriage of justice in this case.

I went back to the Turkish courtroom almost 2 months after I met him in prison, and I saw firsthand how the Turkish justice system works. It is not like ours, which is largely devoid of any political influence or what I view as completely devoid of political influence. The President can't call a judge and tell them to put their thumb on the scale of justice here in the United States, but sometimes it looks that way in Turkey.

I am asking President Erdogan, the Turkish judiciary, the Foreign Ministers, and the others I have spoken with over the past several months: Please, let's have justice for Pastor Brunson. Regardless of what the outcome is tomorrow in the courts, get him home. I hope that happens tomorrow or early next week.

If, on the other hand, his hearing is continued again or he is found guilty and is likely to be sentenced to 35 years, I will have to take a different tack--a tack very similar to what we took in putting a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act, really questioning our long-term relationship with Turkey in terms of sharing technology with the Joint Strike Fighter. When we went through that process, we identified a number of other measures where I believe we can get strong support in the House and Senate that would take our relationship with Turkey in the wrong direction.

I want Turkey to be a strong NATO ally. I want Turkey to be a strong trading partner. I want the Turkish people to have a vibrant economy, but at the end of the day, I will have to be motivated to convince the Members of Congress and the President, who has been very helpful to this point, and Secretary of State Pompeo that absent a just outcome for Pastor Brunson, we will have to take a look at how we can continue to fight for justice. I sincerely hope I will never have to go down that path.

Over the next 24 hours, Pastor Brunson is scheduled to be in a courtroom--within about the next 16 hours. I hope the American people will keep him in their prayers. I hope the Turkish people and the Turkish leadership will do the right thing--and the right thing is having Pastor Brunson and Noreen come home.

Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source