10.16.2018 - By War on the Rocks
On Friday, October 12th, Turkey released pastor Andrew Brunson, an American citizen who had been imprisoned since Oct 2016. He had been originally arrested, along with other citizens and foreign service nationals, as part of a state of emergency that followed from the failed coup attempt. Aykan Erdemir, a former member of the Turkish parliament and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discusses Erdogan's 'hostage diplomacy' efforts and why Brunson has been released now. (~13 minutes)