Office of Rep. Karen Bass
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health & Human Rights
On May 11, 2014, a Sudanese woman, Meriam Ibrahim (pictured above), was convicted in a Sudanese criminal court of apostasy (or conversion from Islam to another religion). Ms. Ibrahim was then given three days to recant her Christian faith, and when she refused, she was sentenced on May 15 to death by hanging for apostasy. The court suspended implementation of the death sentence verdict for two years so that Ms. Ibrahim, who was pregnant at the time, could give birth and nurse her child. The court also suspended her lashing sentence, to be implemented two months after the child’s birth. She gave birth to a daughter, Maya, on May 27, and was moved, along with her son, Martin, who is almost two years old, from a cell to the prison clinic. U.N. human rights officials described the conditions in her prison cell as “harsh,” and international advocacy groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned Ms. Ibrahim’s incarceration and called for her release.
In response to Ms. Ibrahim’s imprisonment on February 24, 2014, the US Department of State issued a statement expressing its deep concern with the apostasy ruling and the flogging sentence, and it called on the Sudanese government and judiciary to respect the right to freedom of religion.
Following months of intense pressure from the international community, as well as global advocacy groups, the Sudanese government announced the release of Meriam Ibrahim from prison on June 23. This development was initially lauded as a diplomatic breakthrough. However, Sudanese authorities re-arrested Ms. Ibrahim at the Khartoum airport on June 24, on grounds of not obtaining proper exits visas to depart the country.
Although initial reports suggested that her release was unconditional, it remains unclear when and if she’ll be able to leave Sudan following the recent detainment.
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