Khartoum appeal court cancels death sentence against Meriam Ibrahim

June 23, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – A court of appeal in Khartoum cancelled a death sentence issued last month against Meriam Ibrahim for apostasy, the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported on Monday.

“The Court of Appeal in Khartoum North overturned a judgment of the trial court of Haj Yousef and issued a decision to release the prisoner Abrar Hadi Mohammed Abdullah (alias Meriam Ibrahim), after the pleadings submitted by her defence,” SUNA said.

Her lawyer later said that authorities released her from jail.

On 5 May, Haj Youssef court sentenced Ibrahim to to death by hanging and 100 lashes after convicting her on charges of apostasy and adultery.

Amnesty International said Ibrahim was arrested and charged with adultery in August 2013 after a family member reportedly claimed that she was committing adultery because of her marriage to a Christian South Sudanese man.

Under Sudan’s Islamic Shari’a law, a Muslim woman is not permitted to marry a non-Muslim man, thus any such marriage is considered adulterous. The court later added the charge of apostasy when Ibrahim, who was raised an Orthodox Christian, asserted that she was not a Muslim.

(ST)