ALL TALK AND NO ACTION?
by Sharon Rondeau
(May 30, 2014) — The following response was received by a reader of The Post & Email after the individual contacted the U.S. State Department regarding Meriam Ibrahim Wani, a Sudanese Christian woman imprisoned in Khartoum with her two very young children, one a newborn baby girl, under extremely harsh conditions.
Meriam was convicted of adultery for marrying a Christian man and further sentenced to death for failing to recant her Christianity in an Islamic court earlier this month.
“My original letter to the State Department was brief,” our reader told us. “In it I identified the principal person, described her situation, and stated that I had heard the State Department had done nothing. Then, I asked them to repent and effect her release.”
The response received is as follows:
May 28, 2014
Dear XXXXXX,
Thank you for sharing your views about the case of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, the Sudanese woman who has been sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy after she refused to recant her Christian faith and declare herself a Muslim. The United States is fully engaged diplomatically in Ms. Ishag’s case and through the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, the White House and the State Department has communicated our strong concern at high levels of the Sudanese government.
We have strongly condemned this sentence and call upon the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion, including one’s right to change one’s faith or beliefs, a right that is enshrined in international human rights law as well as in Sudan’s own 2005 Interim Constitution. U.S. Embassy officials have attended all public hearings to date and will closely monitor the appeals process in Khartoum, which we understand can be quite lengthy.
We have heard from many, many Americans that they are deeply alarmed by Ms. Ishag’s plight. We have conveyed these views as well to the Government of Sudan.
Thank you for contacting the U.S. Department of State.
Bureau of Public Affairs
Office of Public Liaison
A petition at whitehouse.gov which had 17,300 signatures just before 9:00 a.m. EDT on Friday has 20,736 as of 3:36 p.m. EDT. A total of 100,000 signatures is reportedly needed for the White House to take action.
Earlier this week, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) introduced H. Res. 601 with the purpose of freeing Meriam and her children.
On Friday afternoon, The Post & Email submitted a comment via the form on the State Department’s website. We then contacted the office dealing with U.S. citizens abroad. After a live person answered, she instructed us to call the Public Communication Division at 202-647-6575, which led us back to the original menu from which one can leave a comment. We did so, stating that time is of the essence in saving the lives of two very young children and their mother who are the family of a U.S. citizen, Daniel Wani, who reportedly has received no assistance from the U.S. embassy in Khartoum over the last three months.
A spokeswoman for the State Department, Jen Psaki, said on Thursday that Obama ““doesn’t’ give himself enough credit for what he’s done around the world.”
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This story has been updated.