With great joy, we heard today that Meriam
Ibrahim and her family have left Sudan and arrived safely in Italy. Thank you to
everyone who prayed and campaigned for her
freedom.
Today – 24 July – Meriam Ibrahim and her family flew to safety in Italy, accompanied by Italy's vice-minister for foreign affairs, Lapo Pistelli. Pistelli posted a picture with the family on his facebook account, along with the caption ‘mission accomplished’. Upon arrival in Italy this morning, Meriam was met by the Italian Prime Minister and has since had an audience with Pope Francis. On 11 May Meriam Ibrahim, who has been a Christian her entire life, was sentenced by a Sudanese court to death for apostasy (converting to Christianity). Her biological father is a Muslim, which makes Meriam a Muslim under Islamic law, although she was raised by her Christian mother. She was also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery because she is married to a non-Muslim. She spent over 140 days in prison where she gave birth to her daughter, Maya, in shackles. After increasing international pressure, Meriam’s sentence was overturned and she was released, only to be re-arrested when trying to leave the country the next day, accused of forging travel documents. She was released again, but then followed a time of great trial and uncertainty where Meriam and her family were forced to take refuge in the US embassy in Khartoum, while her half-brother – who had previously stated that he wanted to see Meriam executed – lodged a number of lawsuits against her in an attempt to prove Meriam’s biological connection to his family and to annul her marriage to fellow Christian, Daniel Wani. Praise God, this is now all behind her. Read Meriam’s story in full on our website.Sources: BBC, Reuters, The Sudan TribunePlease continue to pray for Meriam and her family:
Today – 24 July – Meriam Ibrahim and her family flew to safety in Italy, accompanied by Italy's vice-minister for foreign affairs, Lapo Pistelli. Pistelli posted a picture with the family on his facebook account, along with the caption ‘mission accomplished’. Upon arrival in Italy this morning, Meriam was met by the Italian Prime Minister and has since had an audience with Pope Francis. On 11 May Meriam Ibrahim, who has been a Christian her entire life, was sentenced by a Sudanese court to death for apostasy (converting to Christianity). Her biological father is a Muslim, which makes Meriam a Muslim under Islamic law, although she was raised by her Christian mother. She was also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery because she is married to a non-Muslim. She spent over 140 days in prison where she gave birth to her daughter, Maya, in shackles. After increasing international pressure, Meriam’s sentence was overturned and she was released, only to be re-arrested when trying to leave the country the next day, accused of forging travel documents. She was released again, but then followed a time of great trial and uncertainty where Meriam and her family were forced to take refuge in the US embassy in Khartoum, while her half-brother – who had previously stated that he wanted to see Meriam executed – lodged a number of lawsuits against her in an attempt to prove Meriam’s biological connection to his family and to annul her marriage to fellow Christian, Daniel Wani. Praise God, this is now all behind her. Read Meriam’s story in full on our website.Sources: BBC, Reuters, The Sudan TribunePlease continue to pray for Meriam and her family:
