Apostasy Mother Rearrested While Trying To Flee Sudan [Updated]

Further Update, June 25:

An exclusive report by the MailOnline claims that Meriam Ibrahim has been charged with fraud. She has now been accused of falsifying her travel documents.

Using what appears to be a technicality, the authorities told her she should have used the Muslim name she had when she was born, not the Christian name she now uses.

Update:

Lawyer Shareif Ali Shareif says that the family are being held by the National Security force which is not obliged to take them back to court. “This is not a criminal matter, it a national security matter.'”

He added, “We don’t have any information about what charges they face.”

The religious freedom group, Hardwired, confirmed that Meriam and Daniel had been taken into custody by the feared National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), which can detain people indefinitely.

The organization was described as the “Agents of Fear” in a damning report by Amnesty International which outlined a catalog of abuses they had carried out in the past.

NISS is also notorious for taking prisoners to secret “ghost houses” where they are tortured.

Original Story:

Meriam Ibrahim, the 27-year-old mother sentenced to death by a Sudanese court for the crime of apostasy, but released yesterday, has been rearrested,

The death sentence was passed because she had married a Christian. Under Sudanese law that meant that she had committed an act of apostasy, or renunciation of her faith as a Muslim. Meriam and her husband, Daniel Wani, were arrested at Khartoum airport as they were apparently attempting to flee the country.

The couple, together with their two children, Maya, one month, and Martin, 21 months, were preventing from leaving by a force of some 40 security agents

Their detention creates a serious problem for the U.S. government since Daniel Wani is an American citizen from Manchester, New Hampshire, and the government had placed enormous pressure on the Sudanese authorities to secure Meriam’s release.

The MailOnline reported that Meriam’s lawyer, Shareif Ali Shareif, said:

“Meriam Ibrahim and Daniel Wani were arrested at the airport two hours ago [about 12 30 GMT). They are now in the detention of the National Security forces. The family were trying to leave Sudan for a safe place. The children were with them. The children are with Meriam. They were arrested as well.

We don’t have any information about what charges they face. But the National Security force does not have to take them to court. This is not a criminal matter, it a national security matter.”

It is only a few hours since Meriam was photographed following her release from prison. She was holding the baby, Maya, she had been forced to give birth to while shackled to the ground.

The photo, taken in a safe house where the couple were hiding out, shows the couple, their children, and their legal team. The family had been advised by their lawyers that staying in an unpublicized location was for their safety and protection. Mohaned Mostafa, one of the legal team, said that they were afraid “someone might try to harm her.”

It would seem that their fears were justified.

Interviewed by CNN earlier this month, Al Samani Al Hadi Mohamed Abdullah said that if Meriam was killed, it would have “enforced God’s word” because she broke sharia law. He added that if she were not executed, he would kill her himself.

The assumption is that the couple and their children were beginning their journey to the U.S. when they were arrested, but that is not confirmed. Their return to America was demanded by politicians immediately she was released.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) issued a joint statement on Monday, saying: “Meriam’s imprisonment and death sentence for exercising her fundamental right of religious freedom was deplorable and a gross violation of basic human rights. We will continue to work closely with Mr. Wani to help ensure that Ms. Ibrahim and her children are brought quickly and safely to the United States.”

The shock and suddenness of the unexpected rearrest has left Merriam’s supporters stunned, and they will now have consider the next step.

The fact that world has learned that apostasy is a capital offence in some Islamic states will make it that much more difficult for those who speak about ” moderate Muslims,” and define what happened in Sudan as the action of “extremists.”

After all, the decision was made by a judge, who was only enforcing the national law against apostasy.

Image:theguardian.com