Meriam Ibrahim Detained Again After Release

Daniel and Meriam
Photo: Gabriel Wani / Facebook

A Christian wife and mother was released from prison on June 23rd, only to be apprehended along with her family the next day at the Khartoum airport.

Meriam Ibrahim, 27, was sentenced in May of this year with apostasy -- a crime punishable by hanging -- and adultery, as government officials didn't consider her marriage to a Christian man valid. Eight months pregnant at the time, she was confined to a prison cell along with her 20-month-old son. At the end of May, Meriam gave birth to a daughter while shackled to the prison floor. (For more information on these charges and her imprisonment, please visit our website.)

Following worldwide attention on her plight, the appeal court reviewing her case quashed the original verdict and ordered her release. Yet this family's rejoicing was short-lived. According to Meriam's lawyer, over 40 agents from the National Intelligence and Security Services apprehended the family the following day as they attempted to board a plane to the USA. Meriam's husband, Daniel, is an American citizen.

At last report, the family was being detained at a police station on charges of forging official documents and giving false statements. The accusations stem from the family using a travel document issued by the Embassy of South Sudan that lists Meriam's nationality as "South Sudan." However, Meriam is known to be a Sudanese citizen.

Another complicating factor in Meriam's case is that the Court of Appeal's recent verdict has not yet been formally issued in written form. As such, it is not yet known whether the Attorney General will appeal the verdict to the High Court.

Thank the Lord that the initial charges against Meriam have been dropped, and let us praise Him for sustaining her and her young children while they were incarcerated in prison. Pray that this latest setback will be resolved quickly and that God will continue to guide this family to safety, allowing them to travel to the United States. May the international outcry over this case bring to light Sudan's other religious freedom violations, and thus lead to increased freedom for all believers. Pray, too, that the authorities involved with this case will be moved by Meriam's unwavering stand for Jesus and turn to Him in faith.

  • Country Information

    Population
    49,197,555 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Sudanese Arab (70), Fur, Beja, Nuba and Fallata (30)

    Religion
    Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

    Leader
    President (to be determined)
    Transitional military leadership in place

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Sudan

    Pray that Christians throughout Sudan will continue to entrust themselves to Christ and preach the Gospel boldly, knowing Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth (2 Timothy 1:7-12, Revelation 1:5).

    Pray also that peace, justice and religious freedom may be firmly established.

Sudan News

  • Church Building Destroyed While Authorities Watch
    A pile of rubble - corregated metal, wood, and various other objects - is heaped where a building once stood.
    A demolished Pentecostal church building in Khartoum.
    Photo: CSW

    On July 8th, approximately 30 individuals equipped with heavy machinery demolished a Pentecostal church in the El Haj Yousif area of Khartoum as police officers and military personnel looked on without intervening. By the time the demolition was finished, the worship hall – which had been constructed in the early 1990s – was reduced to rubble, along with the church's administrative offices, guest house, and other adjoining buildings.

  • Church Leaders Face Violence from Multiple Sides
    A large church with several spires.
    A church in Sudan.
    Photo: Flickr / David Stanley (cc)

    The bishop of the El-Obeid diocese in Sudan recently suffered a harrowing ordeal at the hands of both members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and those of the opposing rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On December 1st, Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali reported that he was travelling with a deacon named Joseph. The ministry team had just arrived in El-Obeid when they were suddenly stopped and harassed by the SAF. The troops seized the small sum of money in U.S. dollars that the bishop was carrying, claiming that it was forbidden currency. During the robbery, the soldiers also physically harmed the two men.

  • Displaced Christians Driven From Their Homes
    A large group of people are gathered around a small mosque.
    A group of people in Sudan.
    Photo: Wikipedia / Nina R (cc)

    Residents of the Al-Makniya area of Sudan's River Nile state drove 34 displaced Christians from their homes on October 19th. Those responsible for the displacement explained that they did not want any Christians nor black people in the area.

  • Military Officers Arrest Christian Refugees
    A group of men are standing together. They appear to be singing.
    Photo: VOMC
     

    Amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan, a group of over 100 Sudanese men, women and children travelled to the city of Shendi on the banks of the Nile River in search of refuge from the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group, RSF. There, the refugees – most of whom are members of the Sudanese Church of Christ – sought shelter in an affiliated church building.