Meriam Ibrahim to be freed after death sentence for Christian faith overturned

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Gabriel Wani/Facebook

Sudan authorities will be freeing Christian woman Meriam Ibrahim, who was sentenced to death for her faith.

Ibrahim, who gave birth to a baby daughter on Tuesday, is set to be free in a few days, Sudan officials told news outlets.

The news of the woman being freed comes just a day after David Cameron spoke out against the death sentence handed to Ibraham earlier this month for apostasy. According to the BBC, Mr Cameron said he was "appalled" by the sentence and that it had "no place in today's world".

"Religious freedom is an absolute, fundamental human right," he said.

"I urge the government of Sudan to overturn the sentence and immediately provide appropriate support and medical care for her and her children."

Ibrahim was sentenced to death and 100 lashes on May 15 for marrying a Christian man. Under Sharia law, she is considered a Muslim, and the marriage is invalid.

Her husband Daniel Wani said that Ibrahim refused to renounce Christianity and "return" to Islam—the religion of her estranged father.

"There is pressure on her from Muslim religious leaders that she should return to the faith," Wani told CNN this week. "She said, 'How can I return when I never was a Muslim? Yes, my father was a Muslim, but I was brought up by my mother.' "

"An illegitimate marriage does not result in legally recognized offspring, which means that my son and the new baby are no longer mine," Wani explained. The couple's 20-month-old son, Martin, and newborn daughter, Maya, are in jail with their mother.

Ibrahim had remained steadfast in her Christian faith despite the poor conditions she and her children have been subjected to in confinement.

"I know my wife. She's committed," Wani stated. "Even last week, they brought in sheikhs and she told them, 'I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change my mind.'"

Ibrahim has been in a Khartoum jail since January 17.

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