EU calls for protection of religious freedom in Sudan

The representatives of the EU Delegation to Sudan and its member states in Khartoum have received the legal defence team of Maryam Yahya Ibrahim, who on 11 May was convicted of apostasy at the El Haj Yousif Criminal Court in Khartoum North.  The diplomats were briefed about the development of the case, and its implications on religious tolerance and human rights, the EU Delegation to Sudan said in a press statement today (Tuesday). The EU and its member states have been attentively following this case. While reiterating full respect for the independence of the Sudanese legal system, the EU representatives recall that the freedom of religion is a universal human right that needs to be protected everywhere and for everyone. The EU diplomats underlined that in the context of relevant UN and African Union conventions, Sudan has an international obligation to defend, and promote the freedom of religion. File photo: A Coptic Orthodox church in Khartoum Related: Christian woman sentenced to death for ‘apostasy’ in Sudan (12 May 2014)