The United States imposed sanctions against two Turkish ministers on the "Magnitsky Law"

The United States imposed personal sanctions against two Turkish ministers - the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice Suleiman Soil and Abdulhamite Gul - for the persecution of the American pastor Andrew Branson. The assets of these Turkish officials in the United States should be frozen, they are prohibited from any operations with American individuals and legal entities, the US Treasury website said.

The decision was made on the basis of the "Law of Magnitsky" on sanctions against violators of human rights in other countries. The heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice of Turkey are involved in serious violations of human rights, the US Ministry of Finance said. The law bears the name of the Russian auditor Sergei Magnitsky, who opened a large corruption scheme and tortured in the Moscow pre -trial detention center.

Anti -Turkish sanctions are imposed by personal order of US President Donald Trump, the representative of the White House Sarah Sanders emphasized. "There is no evidence of a violation of the law by Pastor Branson, we consider it a victim of an unfair and unreasonable imprisonment of the Turkish authorities," she added.

Last week, Trump warned Turkey that she was waiting for serious sanctions for refusing to release Branson. The Turkish side, in turn, said that it did not accept the language of threats.

On July 25, the Turkish court decided to transfer the pastor from prison under house arrest. Branson has been working in Turkey for more than 20 years. He was arrested in Izmir in October 2016 after a failed military coup. A year later, the American was charged with a combination of the coup. He faces up to 35 years in prison. Branson collaborated with the movement of Fethullah Gulen, who was recognized as terrorist in Turkey. Turkish President Recep Erdogan linked the liberation of Branson with the issuance of Gulen living in exile in the United States. “You also have a preacher, give it to us,” Erdogan said in September last year in response to Washington’s call to free Branson.

According to Bloomberg, this week the American side again shifted the deadlines for the introduction of anti -Turkish sanctions in the hope of the liberation of Branson. The United States also require the release of four Turkish citizens - NASA employees and the American embassy. In Washington, they are considered hostages, whom the Turkish authorities keep in concessions on controversial issues of bilateral relations.

After the Bloomberg message about the upcoming introduction of sanctions, the course of the Turkish lira collapsed.

In addition to personal sanctions, the United States may impose a large fine on the Turkish State Bank Halkbank for violation of the sanctions regime against Iran. In addition, Turkey is threatened with American sanctions for the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.

According to Bloomberg diplomatic sources in Washington and Ankara, the Americans proposed to soften the penalty for Halkbank in exchange for the liberation of Branson. As part of this transaction, the American side was ready to issue Turkey to serve the sentence of Deputy Head of the Bank of Mehmet Khakas Atilla, convicted in the United States. In addition, the Israeli authorities at Washington’s request freed the Turkish citizen Ebru Ozkan, arrested on charges of relations with terrorists.