Update on Meriam Ibrahim

Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Catholic woman whose death sentence for renouncing Islam was overturned, was been released from jail again, after she was detained at Khartoum airport on Tuesday.

According to news reports, Mrs. Ibrahim was released yesterday on the condition that she remains in Sudan. The lawyer said that she was currently in the US embassy with her family.

In Washington, a State Department spokeswoman said Mrs. Ibrahim and her family were "in a safe location" and Sudan's government "has assured us of the family's continued safety." Citing privacy considerations, she declined to specify that location.

Sudan's National Security and Intelligence Authority is reported to have lodged a complaint against Mrs. Ibrahim. Reports say now that Sudan's intelligence agency is involved, Mrs. Ibrahim's case is likely to be more difficult and complicated to resolve.


Mrs. Ibrahim was sentenced to death and to 100 lashes after refusing to renounce her Christian faith. She has been convicted by a court in Khartoum on charges of apostasy and adultery. Last month, she gave birth to a baby girl while shackled to the floor in a Khartoum prison where she is being held with her newborn daughter and 20-month-old son.