Meriam Ibrahim in Sudan - U.S. Policy on Prisoners in Foreign Countries‏

Spread the love

CITIZEN TELLS HOUSE COMMITTEE TO “TAKE A CLEAR STANCE” ON IMPRISONED CHRISTIAN FAMILY OF U.S. CITIZEN

June 9, 2014

Meriam and Daniel — Daniel and Meriam Wani were married in December 2011 in a Christian church in Khartoum, Sudan. Daniel became a U.S. citizen in 2005. Meriam and the couple’s two infant children are imprisoned in a disease-infested Sudanese prison after Meriam refused to renounce Christianity. She has been sentenced to 100 lashes for “adultery” and to death for failing to embrace Islam.

Dear Editor:

The following letter was faxed to members of the Foreign Relations Committee in the U.S. House and Senate.

Subject: Persecuted Christian, Meriam Ibrahim in Sudan

To: Congressman Ed Royce

Cc: Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Others

Dear Representative,

I am very disturbed by the mistreatment of U.S. citizen Daniel Wani and his family by the Sudan government, and have some questions about the matter.

Though Daniel’s wife Meriam has not acquired U.S. citizenship, her two infant children, Martin and Maya, who are in prison with her may actually be U.S. citizens.*

The State Department’s website says that one of the highest priorities of the Department of State and U.S. embassies is to provide assistance to U.S. citizens incarcerated abroad, and that they monitor conditions in foreign prisons and may protest allegations of abuse against U.S. citizen prisoners when requested to do so by the prisoner.*

QUESTION: Has the State Department attempted to contact Meriam in order to give her the opportunity to make this request on behalf of her children?

QUESTION: Will the State Department file a formal protest against the mistreatment of Meriam and her children?

During a FOX News interview, Daniel said that the American consul has put the process for reporting his son’s birth on hold, and it’s been said that he was asked to provide DNA evidence to prove that the toddler is his.

QUESTION: Will this procedure be expedited in consideration of the situation of two-year-old Martin?

QUESTION: Considering that Daniel’s daughter Maya was born in prison, will the U.S. embassy work to register her birth by helping Daniel to obtain the necessary documentation, etc., so that Maya’s U.S. citizenship can be officially confirmed?

QUESTION: Will the process of granting or denying Meriam a spousal visa also be expedited in consideration of her situation?

Any other information you can provide on this matter will be appreciated. The United States needs to take a clear stance on behalf if its citizens and their families abroad.

Regards,

*REFERENCES

Birth Abroad to One Citizen and One Alien Parent – U.S. State Department http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english/legal-considerations/us-citizenship-laws-policies/citizenshipchild-born-abroad.html

Arrest or Detention of a U.S. Citizen Abroad – U.S. State Department http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/emergencies/arrest.html