Sudanese mother who gave birth in prison is reportedly to be freed after outrage over death sentence

A Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death whilst pregnant is to be reportedly freed after international outcry.

prison2

by Fiona Day |
Published on

Meriam Ibrahim gave birth to her daughter shackled in a prison cell after she was sentenced to death for refusing to convert back to Islam.

The mother-of-two converted to Christianity when she married her husband, Daniel Wani, a Sudanese man with US citizenship. He currently resides in New Hampshire, USA.

But campaigners for Meriam have warned that the Sudanese government may still change their minds and that the granted clemency might just be the government ‘playing games.’

The qualified doctor was jailed in September and earlier this month sentenced to death for apostasy and 100 lashes for adultery as the government refused to accept her Christian marriage as Meriam’s father was Muslim.

Meriam’s husband Daniel- who is confined to a wheelchair due to suffering from muscular dystrophy- has also reportedly been asked to supply a DNA sample to confirm that Meriam’s newborn daughter is his child.

Both Daniel and Meriam’s children are eligible for US citizenship with former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton writing in a statement: ‘Meriam Ibrahim’s death sentence is abhorrent. Sudan should stop threatening religious freedom and fundamental human rights.’

The foreign office released a statement reading: ‘We are aware of and urgently seeking clarification from the Sudanese authorities of reports that Meriam Ibrahim, the mother facing the death penalty in Sudan, is to be freed.’

'We have been strongly urging the Government of the Republic of Sudan to do all it can to overturn its decision to sentence her to death.’

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us