International Christian Concern (ICC) has provided below everything you need to become completely immersed in the details of Meriam’s ongoing fight for freedom. To join ICC in calling on the government of Sudan to immediately and unconditionally release Meriam, sign our petition, and be sure to join us in speaking out #ForMeriam on social media! Immediately below you’ll find a summary of Meriam’s case, below that, resources to contact your Sudanese Embassy or Consulate, and finally, a list of everything ICC has published in following Meriam’s case.
Meriam, a Christian mother who birthed her second child while in prison, was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging on charges of adultery and apostasy. Meriam, born to a Muslim father who left at age 6, was raised an Orthodox Christian by mother in Western Sudan. Meriam is a graduate of Khartoum University, a medical professional (studied to be a doctor) and wife of Daniel Wani, a South Sudanese Christian, naturalized U.S. citizen, and New Hampshire resident who is confined to a wheelchair. Meriam regularly attended St. Matthew, a Catholic church in Khartoum prior to her arrest and detention.
Meriam and her 20-month-old son Martin were arrested and detained by Sudan’s Public Order Police following a tip from an immediate family member that she had married a Christian and was a practicing Catholic. The tip could have been the product of ulterior motives, such as financial or familial conflict.
Meriam was later charged with adultery and apostasy on March 4, was convicted May 11, and sentenced May 15. In the eyes of the Sudanese court, Meriam is considered a Muslim having been birthed to a Muslim. Thus, her Christian faith is considered an act of apostasy (leaving Islam, which is a crime punishable by death in Sudan) and her faithful marriage to Daniel, an act of adulterous sexual relation.
Meriam’s defense team is composed of lawyers from Justice Center Sudan, a Khartoum-based human rights organization formally recognized by the Sudanese government in February of this year. JCS, headed by Mohand Mustafa, submitted her letter of appeal May 22, and expects to hear whether the Khartoum Court of Appeals will or will not hear the case within the week. Sources on the ground estimate the appeal could take as many as 2 years to complete.
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 27, Meriam gave birth to her’s and Daniel’s second child, a baby daughter. Denied access to a provate medical facility, Meriam was forced to birth Maya in the hospital wing of the Omdurman Federal Women’s Prison, where she and her 20-month-old son Martin are being held. Daniel barred from witnessing the birth and it remains unconfirmed as to whether or not he has had an opportunity to meet his daughter.
What You Can Do:
We’ve listed phone numbers for six Sudanese Embassies around the world. Find yours and join ICC in respectfully calling on the Government of Sudan to immediately and unconditionally release Meriam today!
United States
202 338 8565
United Kingdom
+44 20 7839 8080
Canada
+1 613 235 4000
Belgium
+32 2 647 9494
Germany
+49 30 8906980
France
+33 1 4225 5571
Should you experience issues in reaching your embassy by phone, please feel free to write your embassy’s staff using their contact form on their respective site, or by mailing them at the addresses provided below the template. We’ve provided a template which you can feel free to copy and paste or modify, or you can draft your message in your own words to respectfully explain to the government of Sudan why you believe Meriam should be set free:
United States
2210 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
United Kingdom
3 Cleveland Row, St James
London SW1A 1DD
Canada
354 Stewart St
Ottawa, Ontario
Belgium
Ave Franklin Roosevelt 124
1050 Brussels
Germany
Kurfürstendamm 151
10709 Berlin
France
11 Rue Alfred Dehodencq
75016 Paris
Fore more information detailing how Meriam’s case has developed, we’ve listed all of ICC’s publications on her situation below. Please feel free to reference and distribute any of the below materials to your family, friends, colleagues and fellow believers:
05/31/2014 Christian Mother to be Released to Nurse Newborn Before Being Executed
05/29/2014 Photos of Christian Woman’s Daughter, Born on Death Row, Released to the Public
05/27/2014 Sudanese Christian Sentenced to Death Gives Birth to Second Child in Prison
05/23/2014 Senators Implore Obama Admin. to Help Christian Mother on Death Row in Sudan
05/23/2014 Appeal to Challenge Death Sentence for Pregnant Christian Mother Submitted to Khartoum Court
05/21/2014 Representatives Wolf, Franks Call on Secretary Kerry to Grant Asylum to Mother on Death Row
05/21/2014 Christian News Org Calls on Secretary Kerry to Grant Asylum to Mother on Death Row
05/20/2014 Pregnant Mother and 20-Month-Old Son Await Appeal on Sudanese Death Row
05/19/2014 ICC Calls Attention to Sudan’s Sentencing to Death of a Pregnant Mother
05/16/2014 American “just praying” Over His Pregnant Wife’s Death Sentence for Her Christian Faith
05/15/2014 Representatives Trent Franks and Frank Wolf Speak Out Regarding Pregnant Mother’s Conviction
05/15/2014 Hanging a Mother for Her Faith
05/13/2014 In A Country That Crucifies, A Pregnant Mother Faces Death for Clinging to the Cross
05/11/2014 Pregnant Mother Convicted of Apostasy by Sudanese Court as U.S. Celebrates Mother’s Day
05/02/2014 ICC Calls on Government of Sudan to Release Christian Mother on Death Row
04/28/2014 Pregnant Mother in Sudan Faces 100 Lashings and Death for Christian Conversion
For interviews, contact Cameron Thomas: RM-Africa@persecution.org
ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.
