The appeals court in Sudan has ordered the release of the Christian woman who was jailed and sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging for apostasy.  Meriam Ibrahim is now in seclusion with her US citizen husband, her toddler son, and her infant daughter whom she gave birth to while shackled to a floor in prison.

Ibrahim refused to renounce the faith she was raised in, even though the Sharia law court had decided that she was a Muslim, because her absentee father was a Muslim – a case based on testimony from men who claimed to be her relatives, but whom Meriam had never even met.  Imams declared her 2011 marriage to Daniel Wani to be invalid, making her an adulterer.  She was locked up with her son Martin, and days later gave birth to little Maya.

The case brought a huge outcry from people around the world, governments, and human rights groups, all demanding her release.  More than a million people signed a petition from Amnesty International that demanded her release. 

“Obviously this is good news and it shows that the appeals court sought to uphold rights. This is the outcome we were hoping for because there was a clear legal basis for releasing her,” said Jehanne Henry, of Human Rights Watch.