Turkish court rejects US pastor’s appeal for release for second time

A Turkish court on Wednesday rejected the second appeal to release U.S. Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson.

Brunson’s lawyer, Ismail Cem Halavurt, said a higher court was yet to rule on the appeal.

Halavurt lodged the second appeal document to court on Tuesday, asking for the pastor to be released from house arrest and have his travel ban lifted.

The appeal was rejected by the 2nd Penal Court in İzmir, and referred to a higher court.

Recently, the court had allowed Brunson to be moved from jail and placed him under house arrest in view of his "health problems".

Brunson's charges include spying for the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Turkey -- and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the defeated coup attempt in Turkey of July 2016.

Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül for not releasing Brunson.

The two NATO allies have been at odds since the defeated coup, which Ankara says U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, the ringleader of FETÖ, is behind.

Brunson's next hearing as part of the trial is scheduled for October 12.