Evangelical preacher the Rev. Franklin Graham and Pastor Saeed Abedini, a former American hostage in Iran, are two of the prominent names who are rallying behind Pastor Andrew Brunson, a U.S. citizen held in a Turkish prison who was recently denied his appeal for freedom.

Brunson has been held for over two months in Turkey, where he is facing the serious charge of being a member “of an armed terrorist organization.”

However, the Turkish authorities have failed so far to present any evidence against him.

Brunson, whose appeal was recently denied, has also been denied attorney-client privileges.There were only three meetings with his lawyers, all in the presence of police officers, who took copies of the lawyers’ notes!

There are suspicions by Brunson’s friends and colleagues that the real reason he is being held simply because he is Christian and American.

Until now there has not been any known and effective support to Brunson by the US State Department probably because the US government does not want to disturb the already fragile relations with Ankara.

According to analysts, Turkey could be using Brunson as leverage for the surrender of Gulen to the Turkish authorities by the US.

It should be reminded that an order for his deportation was issued on October 7th, but the court ordered his detainment.