Botschaft von Sudan in Beirut

Dr. Meryam Yahya
Your Excellency,

I am writing to express my great concern over the case of Sudanese citizen, Mrs. Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag.

Mrs. Ibrahim was born to an Ethiopian Christian mother and a Muslim Sudanese father, but she was raised by her mother. Mrs. Ibrahim considers herself a Christian and married a Christian man in a church ceremony which was accepted by the authorities. However, on February 17 this year, Mrs. Ibrahim was arrested and charged with adultery under article 146 and apostasy under article 126 of the Criminal Code and taken into prison along with her infant child. She is in her ninth month of pregnancy. On May 11 she was sentenced to 100 lashes and to death by hanging by the Public Order Court in El Haj Yousif, Khartoum.

We are deeply concerned over the conditions the expecting Mrs. Ibrahim is facing in prison and about the fact that her infant child is incarcerated with her and denied access to his father. We are also concerned over the fact that Mrs. Ibrahim is denied medical attention and antenatal care for her unborn child.

According to international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Sudan is a State Party, everyone has the right to freedom of religion. This includes the “freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching”.

I respectfully petition your intervention in this case. I call upon the government of Sudan as state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect Mrs. Ibrahim’s right to freedom of religion by allowing her to freely practice her Christian faith. I therefore appeal that you ensure that both sentences against Mrs. Ibrahim be rescinded, and that she is freed immediately and unconditionally so that she and her child can be reunited with her husband.

I call upon your government to approach Mrs. Ibrahim’s case with justice and compassion that is in keeping with the values of the Sudanese people.

Yours sincerely,

Margarete Wallner
Beirut