Erdogan spokesman says US disregard for Turkey's legal process 'unacceptable'

ANKARA: The spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday slammed what he said was the United States´ disregard for Turkey´s legal process, adding Washington had made arbitrary comments and demands in the case of a detained pastor.

In a statement to Reuters, Ibrahim Kalin called on the United States to respect Turkey´s judicial independence, one of Ankara´s most pointed responses yet to criticism over its detention of evangelical Christian pastor Andrew Brunson.

"There is rule of law in Turkey and the Andrew Brunson case is a legal issue.

There is an ongoing legal process related to this individual," Kalin said in a statement to Reuters.

"It goes without saying that we find unacceptable the disregard of the legal process by the United States, which has been making certain demands.

"His comments came after President Donald Trump´s national security adviser John Bolton told Reuters that Turkey made a "big mistake" in not releasing Brunson.