BBC News reports Meriam Ibrahim, the pregnant woman sentenced to death for apostasy in Sudan, will be released.
She was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging after being arrested February 17 for marrying a Christian man in 2011. Ibrahim was born to a Muslim father, but raised Orthodox Christian her entire life.
In Sudan, Shariah law dictates that children inherit the religion of their father. It is also illegal in Sudan for Muslim women to marry outside their faith. In Ibrahim’s case, even though she has been a devout Christian her entire life, her actions are punishable by death.
The Sudanese government gave her until May 15 to convert to Islam. Ibrahim refused. The sentencing has garnered international outrage not only because of the infringement upon her religious freedom but because of her pregnancy. British Prime Minister David Cameron described the ruling as “barbaric.”
Ibrahim gave birth to her daughter Maya on Wednesday. Her husband, Daniel Wadi, described the birth to The Telegraph.
“They kept a chain on her legs,” Wadi said. “She is very unhappy about that.”
After weeks of international pressure, Abdullahi Alzareg, under-secretary at the Foreign Ministry, announced that Sudan guarantees religious freedom and is committed to protecting woman.