Sudanese woman to be freed after death sentence was overturned

 

Sudan authorities will be freeing Meriam Ibrahim, who was sentenced to death for her faith - particularly for marrying a Christian man.

Meriam, who gave birth to a baby daughter on Tuesday, is set to be free in s few days, Sudan officials told news outlets.

The news of the woman being freed comes just a day after David Cameron spoke out against the death sentence handed to Ibrahim earlier this month for apostasy.

According to the BBC, Mr Cameron said he was "appalled" by the sentence and that it had "no place in today's world".

"Religious freedom is an absolute, fundamental human right," he said. "I urge the government of Sudan to overturn the sentence and immediately provide appropriate support and medical care for her and her children."

Meriam was sentenced to death and 100 lashes on May 15 for marrying a Christian man from Southern Sudan. Under Sharia law, she is considered a Muslim, and the marriage is invalid.

Daniel Wani, her husband, said that Meriam refused to renounce Christianity and "return" to Islam - the religion of her estranged father.

"There is pressure on her from Muslim religious leaders that she should return to the faith," Wani told CNN last week.

"She said, 'How can I return when I never was a Muslim? Yes, my father was a Muslim, but I was brought up by my mother."

"An illegitimate marriage does not result in legally recognized offspring, which means that my son and the new baby are no longer mine," Wani explained.

The couple's 20-month-old son, Martin, and newborn daughter, Maya, are in jail with their mother.
Meriam has remained steadfast in her Christian faith -  despite the poor conditions of a Khartoum jail, where she has been since January 17.