In a heartening turn of events, it appears a Sudanese appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling in which Sudanese mother Meriam Ibrahim had been sentenced to death for apostasy and 100 lashes for adultery. According to Sudan’s official SUNA news agency (as reported by the Independent),
“The appeal court ordered the release of Mariam Yahya and the cancellation of the (previous) court ruling.”
This is certainly a good bit of news, as numerous human rights organizations and governments had pressured Sudan and called on the ruling to be reversed. The U.S. government had been slow to respond, however, only recently issuing statements bearing on the matter. Numerous groups had spoken and petitioned on the matter, including the Family Research Council. And in Sudan, Meriam’s attorneys had filed appeals and vowed to fight to the end.
Though what exactly caused the ruling to be reversed remains unclear, we are appreciative of all who spoke out against this blatant human rights violation. No one in the world today, no matter where and under what system of positive law they live, should be compelled to adhere to certain religious beliefs under threat of death or any other punishment. Thankfully, Meriam is now free.
Yet, this matter is not concluded. Though there are some in Sudan supportive of Meriam (Sudanese have demonstrated on her behalf, and her attorneys are Sudanese Muslims), there are others who are not. There have been threats to her life. Once she is freed, she will be in a position to leave Sudan. At that point, it will matter what the U.S. government has or has not done. As Family Research Council asked in its White House petition, available here - https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/act-case-meriam-ibrahim-sudan-and-her-baby-and-toddler-prison/D1x1q4VG - we again call upon President Obama to heed the thousands of petitioning Americans who have asked that he grant Meriam and her two children expedited safe haven in the United States.
