Sudan releases woman sentenced to death for refusing to recant her faith

(Image credit: iStock)

A Sudanese woman sentenced to death for not renouncing her Christian faith was freed from prison on Monday, when an appeals court ruled that the judgment against her was faulty.

Meriam Ibrahim, 27, had been found guilty of apostasy and adultery last month while she was eight months pregnant, and was set to receive 100 lashes and then be hanged, CNN reports. One of Ibrahim's brothers, a Muslim, filed a complaint saying she was a Muslim and had married a Christian, which is illegal in Sudan. Ibrahim told the court she is a Christian, having been raised solely by her Ethiopian Orthodox mother after her Sudanese Muslim father left her family when she was 6.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Ibrahim was told to renounce her Christianity during her sentencing on May 15, but refused, stating, "I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian." She gave birth to her daughter later that month in prison. Now, the baby, her 20-month-old brother (who had also lived in the prison), and Ibrahim have been reunited with Ibrahim's husband, her attorney said.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.