HAS A MIRACLE OCCURRED?
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jun. 23, 2014) — The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) reported on Monday afternoon that Meriam Wani, the Christian Sudanese mother of two condemned to flogging and death by the Sharia-compliant regime in Sudan, has been freed along with her children.
Meriam and her 21-month-old son Martin were imprisoned in January, and she gave birth to daughter Maya behind bars while chained to the floor as a prisoner sentenced to death.
A family member reported to the Sudanese authorities last fall that Meriam was guilty of adultery for having been born to a Muslim father and married a Christian man. On May 15, Meriam was sentenced to 100 lashes on the conviction of adultery and death by hanging for the alleged crime of “apostasy.”
Throughout her ordeal, Meriam refused to recant her Christian faith.
Meriam’s husband Daniel is a U.S. citizen who reportedly received minimal, if any, assistance from the U.S. embassy in Khartoum.
In an emailed newsletter, the ACLJ reported:
We are getting multiple reports from Sudan that Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian sentenced to death for her Christian faith, has been freed from prison, along with her two young American children.
Meriam, married to an American citizen, had been sentenced to flogging and death for “apostasy” – for allegedly converting from Islam to Christianity. In court when she was told she could save her life by recanting her Christian faith, she refused.
She was forced to give birth to her American baby in prison.
She has shown courage few of us can comprehend, and now – after your outcry – a different Sudanese court is reportedly ordering her release.
With her attorney confirming her release, we’re launching a new petition. Let’s ask the Obama Administration to grant Meriam and her American children safe passage and immediate legal status in the United States.
Sign Our New Petition: Bring Meriam and Her American Children Home.
Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel
The UK Independent confirmed the ACLJ’s news with a report that the Sudanese news agency stated, “The appeal court ordered the release of Mariam Yahya and the cancellation of the (previous) court ruling.”
The ACLJ also referred to Meriam’s attorney, who confirmed to Sky News that Meriam had been freed.
The ACLJ has launched a petition for the U.S. to grant Meriam asylum and recognize the U.S. citizenship of her children because of their father’s naturalization in 2005.
On June 6, the ACLJ had sent a letter with 380,000 signatures to the Sudanese charge d’affaires to the U.S. stating that Meriam’s convictions had given rise to “an intense level of international attention that has shifted the world’s perception of the Sudan.”
On June 12, putative Secretary of State John Kerry made a public statement urging Sudan to reconsider Meriam’s sentence but stopping short of referring to the children as U.S. citizens.