Executive Session
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, a couple of weeks ago, I started the first of what will be a weekly speech to bring attention to what I think is a travesty of justice occurring in Turkey.
I wish to speak about a pastor, a Presbyterian minister from North Carolina, who has lived in Turkey for about 20 years and who has done his very best to respect the laws of Turkey and to bring the Word to people who want to hear it.
Unfortunately, he has been swept up in a coup. He has been swept up in the emergency powers of Turkey. He has been in prison for 580 days.
I went to Turkey about 6 weeks ago to visit Pastor Brunson in prison because I heard that after being in prison for about a year and a half--and for much of that time in a cell that is designed for 8 people and had 21 people in it--he was then indicted. I heard he was afraid the American people were going to read that 62-page bogus indictment, with some of the flimsiest charges we could imagine--charges that wouldn't keep someone overnight in an American jail--that have kept him in prison for 580 days. About 2 months ago, he was indicted, but he said to his wife and friends, he was afraid the American people would read that indictment and turn their backs on him.
So it was important for me to travel over there and tell him face-to- face in that Turkish prison that is the last thing that is going to happen. We are going to continue to work every day he is in prison. I am going to come to the Senate floor, and other Members are, every week for as long as he is illegally in prison, and we are going to make sure the American people and the Turkish people know what is going on and send a very clear message to the leaders of Turkey that this is an unacceptable way to deal with a NATO ally. It is a horrible way to deal with somebody who is only guilty of standing up for a church in Izmir.
It is a small church. Actually, the seating area down below, maybe if it was packed, could hold 150 people. It opens up to a street. It is in a residential area. They let anybody come in. They open their windows. They actually talk with the police about security matters so they know what is going on, but it is just a small church, and all he was trying to do is provide aid and comfort for those who want to seek it.
Every once in a while, he would go to Syria or other parts of Turkey to try to provide aid and comfort to those who need it, Syrian refugees or anyone else. Part of the charges are actually related to that. If you provide aid and comfort, food, to a Kurdish person, in Turkey today, you may be considered a terrorist or a coup plotter. That is what he has been charged with.
In my second trip, I spent 12 hours in a Turkish courtroom to hear every word of the testimony from secret witnesses--whom Pastor Brunson didn't get to face--about the horrible things he did. One of the charges was that one night a witness saw for 4 hours a light on in one of the rooms in the church. Here is the problem with that charge: That is the room. It doesn't have a window. So unless they had x-ray vision, there is no possible way they could have observed that, but it became weighty testimony in the courtroom.
It is a kangaroo court. I want to continue to say, if you don't know ``kangaroo court,'' there is the definition. It is just a trumped-up theater that bears no resemblance to anything you would ever see in American jurisprudence.
Let me give another idea of the level of absurdity of the charges. Pastor Brunson's daughter posted how much she enjoyed a meal with friends. It turns out the prosecutor thought this particular meal was something that was enjoyed by people who participated in the Gulen movement, and therefore her father must somehow be associated with the coup attempt. These are actually serious discussions going on in a Turkish courtroom.
I wasn't able to make it back to Turkey on Monday. I understand that basically the same thing happened, but it got worse. On Monday, when Pastor Brunson and his defense attorney had asked that 10 other witnesses testify on his behalf, they weren't allowed to testify because they were suspects. They weren't convicted. They apparently have been charged or considered to be charged, but in Turkish jurisprudence standards, to be suspect is enough to prevent you from actually helping defend someone who is on trial for a 35-year sentence.
He has been in prison for 580 days. He has lost 50 pounds. He is struggling to keep his wits about him, and he and his wife are doing an extraordinary job. This is a miscarriage of justice.
I believe, today, as I said in a speech 2 weeks ago, and I will say it again: Don't travel to Turkey right now. If you are thinking about making a trip to Turkey, make sure you don't eat this meal--and, for goodness' sake, if you do, don't post how much you enjoyed it because you may be considered a Gulenist. Don't take a picture with friendly people on the street whose ethnic origins you don't know because they may have you associated with somebody who is suspected of plotting a coup. That is the reality of Turkey today.
I can't guarantee the safety of North Carolinians because I have yet to actually speak with people in their state department and their foreign ministry who actually understand the absurdity of what is going on in Turkey today.
I hope we can get back to a better position, but until this man is released, and others who have been falsely charged are treated fairly, I am going to have to come to the Senate floor each and every week we are in session to make sure the American people know what is going on in Turkey and to make absolutely certain that people like Pastor Brunson who are in prison know they have people in the U.S. Senate.
In fact, 66 Senate Members have signed a letter--that is a big lift in the U.S. Senate to get any 66 Members to agree on something--to send a very clear message that we are watching, and there will be consequences if this man is wrongfully imprisoned and could potentially spend the rest of his life in Turkey.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, with that approval, I will pass it over and thank Senator Lankford for his hard work--he has been aware of this issue from day one--and collaboration on it.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I thank Senator Lankford.
I went to Turkey when I was speaker of the house in North Carolina and led a delegation there about 7 years ago, spent 9 days, met with business leaders, and met with President Erdogan. I came away with a great deal of optimism--as a matter of fact, so much optimism, I hosted a delegation from the mayor of Kayseri, who is now a Minister in the Turkish Government, to talk about how North Carolina and Turkey could build stronger economic ties. We both have textile and furniture industries. It looked like a great opportunity, but, as Senator Lankford said, the Turkey of today bears no resemblance to the Turkey I visited about 7 years ago, to the Turkey I visited just a few weeks ago.
I would like to be talking about how we help Turkey take the fight to terrorist organizations threatening their homeland. I would like to work more with Turkey, as we have this week, to identify ISIS leaders, detain them, and make that region safer.
I would like to be a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee-- and sit right next to Senator Sullivan--fighting for additional NDAA provisions that underscore our commitment to our NATO ally in Turkey, but now I am at a fork in the road, and right now I only have one position to take; that is, to put Turkey on notice for their bad actions as a NATO ally and for their bad actions toward American nationals in the country of Turkey.
So I am with Senator Lankford, Senator Shaheen, and other Senators. When we do our markup on the national defense authorization, instead of talking about how we strengthen our relationship for their part in manufacturing the Joint Strike Fighter and what is the timeline to actually have our NATO ally have Joint Strike Fighters, F-35s, within their military base, now I have to start talking about whether they should have it at all. I have to start talking about what are the implications of a Russian missile defense system in a NATO country, with all the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets that come with it. I have to start talking about what the future of our relationship is with a nation that is, for the first time in NATO history, holding American hostages--a NATO ally. I have to take things in a different direction. It is my responsibility, as the co- lead of the Senate NATO observer group, as the Senator of a State who has had a citizen in prison for 580 days. I have no choice.
I thank the Presiding Officer for the time today. I will be back next week, and I will be back every week until we see justice served for Pastor Brunson.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source