An American clergyman jailed in Turkey since December 2016 went on trial Monday. Andrew Craig Brunson is accused of spying and “committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member.” If found guilty, he faces up to 35 years in prison. The case has hurt relations between Turkey and the United States. The 50-year-old Brunson is an evangelical Christian. He is from the state of North Carolina. The Associated Press reports that he has lived in Turkey for 23 years and has served as the pastor of the Izmir Resurrection Church. He and his wife Norine were arrested for suspected immigration violations in October 2016. Their arrests came weeks after members of Turkey’s armed forces attempted to overthrow the government. The overthrow attempt failed. More than 250 people were killed in the unrest. In the year after the overthrow attempt, the government arrested more than 40,000 people.
