-Sudanese Christian Woman Under Death Sentence Released by Appeals Court Then Arrested Again
by Dr. D ~ June 24th, 2014
(Panorama of Khartoum, Sudan: Wikipedia)
Yesterday came the happy news that Meriam Yahia Ibrahim and her children had been released from a Sudanese prison and her death sentence for ‘conversion’ annulled by an Appeals Court. Now today comes the unhappy report that her and her entire family including her husband who is a US citizen have been arrested in an airport as they tried to leave the country.
First the news of her release from the Baptist Press:
A Sudanese appeals court has rescinded the death sentence of a Christian woman who refused to renounce her faith and has freed her two small children and her from prison.
Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, 27, gained her freedom Monday (June 23) after the court overturned rulings issued by a Khartoum judge, Bloomberg News reported. Ibrahim, whose conviction and death sentence were greeted by international protests, was convicted under Sharia law for "apostasy" (leaving Islam) and sentenced to death by hanging. She also received a sentence of 100 lashes for adultery on the basis of her marriage to a Christian, Daniel Wani, a South Sudanese-born citizen of the United States.
Now today the update of their arrest at the airport while trying to leave the country. From World Watch monitor:
One day after being released from prison, Meriam Ibrahim has been arrested again, according to several news sources.
Citing unnamed sources, the BBC reported: "About 40 security agents detained Mrs Ibrahim – along with her husband Daniel Wani and two sons – at the airport, the sources said."
Bloomberg reported that Ibrahim and her family were attempting to take a flight out of the country. …
"The (U.S.) State Dept said that they were held reportedly for not having the proper documentation to leave the country," Ramirez wrote in an email to World Watch Monitor. "State and the embassy are working on it to get her on a plane to South Sudan where they will complete the paperwork for the family to travel to the US."
Response: We have previously written about the injustices of this case and just when it appears that international pressures and mercy have prevailed the family is thrown back into the midst of a chaotic situation with their two small children. Really, 40 security agents does seem to be an overkill. Obviously some very important people in Sudan are not happy with the court’s decision to release this Christian mother and her children. The excuse is not having the proper papers to leave the country. But that results in an entire family including a US citizen and his young children being arrested by 40 armed security agents like they are some kind of dangerous criminals?
Fortunately the State Department has finally responded to Congressional pressure in this case and is trying to help this father who is actually a naturalized US citizen and his family. Hopefully it will be resolved and the family will be able to leave and come to America. Keep on praying. *Top
June 25th, 2014 at 8:43 am
[…] -Sudanese Christian Woman Under Death Sentence Released by Appeals Court Then Arrested Again […]
June 25th, 2014 at 8:44 am
This is typical of the situation where a country has a government of men, and not of laws. In a country with a legal system where law is ultimately the decisive factor, the law would set forth procedural guidelines for who (which court) can make a decision and what the basis and impact of that decision would be.
In contrast, in Sudan (and many other third world countries, and in particular, many many Islamic countries), the procedural rules are not in place. Islamic law is heavy into the substance of the law, but not heavily into procedure. What this means is that the government becomes one of men, and not of laws. There will be different government officials/agencies/mullahs or whatever, each one contending that he has the right to make a decision on a particular topic, and each one contending that he can make decisions in regard to a Christian woman arrested for adultery (or, for that matter, in Iran, an American pastor arrested for preaching). If one faction rules that the Christian woman should be released, there is no procedural obstacle or rule that prevents a second faction from exercising a de facto veto by ordering her re-arrest. This lack of procedural safeguards and clearly delineated lines of authority is a serious obstacle in any of these third world countries, and is a serious (and often overlooked) problem with the imposition of sharia law in such countries.