Norine Brunson
Norine Brunson is the supportive and loyal wife of jailed pastor, Andrew Brunson –who has been freed after two years.
Norine’s hubby was arrested over alleged links to terrorism after a failed coup attempt in 2016.
The court convicted him of terror-related charges and sentenced him to three years in jail. However, he was released because of the time he had already been detained.
The North Carolina native and his wife are long-time residents of Turkey –where he had been working as a pastor for the evangelical Izmir Resurrection Church. He had been preaching to a small congregation prior to his arrest.
The pastor was arrested in October 2016. The authorities accused him of having links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Gulenist movement, which Turkey blames for the 2016 failed coup. He also faced up to 35 years in jail on charges of espionage. The espionage charge was dropped.
The pastor was convicted on charges of aiding terror groups while not being a member of them, and sentenced to three years in prison. All the while, Andrew Brunson kept saying he was an innocent man who loved Turkey.
Over the summer, Brunson was released from prison for health reasons and moved to house arrest until his trial. His supporters thanked President Trump for pressuring Turkey on securing his freedom.
Norine Brunson met Andrew while they were both students at Wheaton College in Illinois. Like her husband, she also comes from a missionary family.
The two tied the knot in 1987. 50-year-old Norine Brunson is the mother of the couple’s three children, two sons and daughter Jaqueline Brunson Furnari. She and her husband lived in North Carolina prior to moving to Turkey –where she gave birth to her two sons.
The couple arrived with their daughter in the early 90’s with the purpose of founding an evangelical church there.
The wife and mother of three was also initially arrested along with her husband but was released after spending nearly two weeks in custody. Since her release, Norine Brunson worked relentlessly to advocate for his release.
Norine who also kept the church running, even met with the Secretary of State in 2017 to talk about her husband’s case.
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