EU Presidents urge Sudan to revoke death sentence

The Presidents of European Union bodies have expressed their deepest dismay and concern with the fate of Maryam Yahya Ibrahim, facing death for ‘apostasy’ in Sudan. She has been imprisoned for months, together with her newborn girl and her 20-month-old son. The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, have underlined Sudan’s international obligation to protect the freedom of religion and belief. They released a press statement today (Tuesday) under the auspices of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Sudan. The three presidents, together with religious leaders representing Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, unanimously called upon the responsible Sudanese authorities ‘to revoke this inhumane verdict and release Ibrahim with the utmost urgency’. ‘Freedom of change of religion’ Sudan has ratified the UN conventions and thereby has an international obligation to defend freedom of religion, ‘which notably includes the right to adopt, exchange or abandon one’s religion or belief of one’s own free will’, the statement read. This applies to the case of Ibrahim, who is the daughter of a Muslim man. However, she stated in court that she has been brought up as a Christian after her father abandoned her when she was six. The pregnant mother refused to renounce her Christian faith. The Sudanese court nevertheless found her guilty of ‘apostasy’ and ‘adultery’, for marrying a Christian as a Muslim woman, and sentenced her to 100 lashes and death by hanging. The Criminal Code states that a pregnant woman sentenced to death must give birth, which Ibrahim did on 27 May, and nurse her child for two years before her execution can go ahead. International condemnation The Delegation of the European Union to Sudan in Khartoum is closely following the case. And in several EU member states, such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the respective Sudanese ambassadors have been summoned. Ibrahim’s death sentence has sparked international condemnation, provoking statements of concern from the Sudanese civil society, the United Nations, and governments around the world as well as an exceptional response from Amnesty International supporters. During the past week, conflicting reports in the British media were published about a potential release of the condemned woman, which was quickly denied by the Khartoum authorities. Her lawyers are hoping that the African Human Rights Commission, based in Gambia, will pressure President Omar Al Bashir to intervene, and overturn the sentence. The most recent development in the case is the submission of an appeal to the court by Ibrahim’s lawyers. However, the court on 2 June said it had not received this appeal. Photo: From left to right: the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz (by the EU Delegation to Sudan) Related: Human rights appeal by condemned Sudanese mother (2 June 2014) Baby ‘ray of light’ for woman facing death in Sudan (30 May 2014)