Sudanese 'apostasy' woman sentenced to death: Meriam Yahya Ibrahim gives birth in prison
Ms Ibrahim was eight months pregnant when she was sentenced to death for marrying a Christian man
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for ‘apostasy’ after marrying a Christian man has given birth in prison.
Meriam Yahya Ibrahim gave birth to a girl in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the hospital wing of a prison in Omdurman, Bloomberg has reported.
The 27-year-old doctor, whose father was Muslim but was raised as a Christian by her mother, was convicted of apostasy and adultery and sentenced to death after refusing to renounce her Christian faith during a four day ‘grace period’ while she was eight months pregnant.
The court in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum had also ordered that Ms Ibrahim be given 100 lashes for committing zena — meaning illegitimate sex in Arabic — for having sexual relations with a non-Muslim man.
Sudanese Parliament speaker Fatih Izz Al-Deen said her brother, a Muslim, filed the charges against her, according to CNN.
The complaint alleged she went missing for a number of years, and her family was shocked to find out she had married a Christian.
Muslim women in the conservative country are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith.
Her husband, Daniel Wani, told Fox News earlier this week that his wife would not convert to Islam. Mr Wani, who is an American citizen, said she spends her days “shackled” in prison with her 20-month-old son.
Her legal team filed an appeal with the Sudanese court on 22 May, her lawyer Elshareef Ali said. The appeals court are expected to make a ruling on the case next week after the documents used by the lower court in its ruling are submitted.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments