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| Husband of Sudanese death row woman appeals for support | Husband of Sudanese death row woman appeals for support |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The husband of Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman sentenced to hang for apostasy, has appealed for global support to free his wife from death row. | The husband of Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman sentenced to hang for apostasy, has appealed for global support to free his wife from death row. |
| Daniel Wani, a US citizen since 2005, said mounting international pressure could have a significant impact on the Sudanese authorities and he felt overwhelmed by "the way people have come together around the world" to protest at his wife's death sentence. | |
| "The calls are overwhelming. I want to thank everyone for this stand. It's looking like it had an effect. Perhaps it will result in the judgment being overturned," he told CNN. | "The calls are overwhelming. I want to thank everyone for this stand. It's looking like it had an effect. Perhaps it will result in the judgment being overturned," he told CNN. |
| Ibrahim, 27, gave birth to a baby girl in a prison clinic this week while shackled by her feet. Guards needed permission from the prison director to release the chains, which was not obtained, her lawyer Elshareef Mohammed told the Guardian. | |
| Wani was permitted to visit his wife, baby Maya and 20-month-old son Martin on Thursday at the Omdurman women's prison near Khartoum. "She is a beautiful baby, and they are all fine," said Mohammed. "Martin is with her, and is a bit jealous of the baby." | |
| He said Ibrahim and the children were being kept in the prison clinic, and Wani had been given permission to visit them twice a week. The shackles were removed on Wednesday. | He said Ibrahim and the children were being kept in the prison clinic, and Wani had been given permission to visit them twice a week. The shackles were removed on Wednesday. |
| Both Wani and Mohammed said the US authorities in Khartoum had failed to press for Ibrahim's release. "It's not the US government, when the problem began the US consul here had a very negative position on this. She was very high handed … She said, and I quote, 'I don't have time,'" Wani told CNN. | |
| Mohammed said: "The US embassy is not giving help." A duty officer at the embassy in Khartoum said no one was available to comment. | |
| Ibrahim was sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery and to death for apostasy this month. She told a court in Khartoum that she had been brought up as a Christian, and she refused to renounce her faith. She and Wani married in 2012, but the court ruled that the union was invalid and Ibrahim was guilty of adultery. | Ibrahim was sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery and to death for apostasy this month. She told a court in Khartoum that she had been brought up as a Christian, and she refused to renounce her faith. She and Wani married in 2012, but the court ruled that the union was invalid and Ibrahim was guilty of adultery. |
| "An 'illegitimate' marriage does not result in legally recognised offspring, which means that my son and the new baby are no longer mine," Wani said. | "An 'illegitimate' marriage does not result in legally recognised offspring, which means that my son and the new baby are no longer mine," Wani said. |
| He said his wife was committed to her Christian faith. "Even last week, they brought in sheikhs and she told them: 'I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change my mind.'" | He said his wife was committed to her Christian faith. "Even last week, they brought in sheikhs and she told them: 'I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change my mind.'" |
| The couple's lawyers have lodged an appeal against Ibrahim's convictions. "We don't know when there will be an outcome," Mohammed said. | |
| Ibrahim has been told that her death sentence will be deferred for two years to allow her to nurse her baby. | Ibrahim has been told that her death sentence will be deferred for two years to allow her to nurse her baby. |
| Hundreds of thousands of people have signed an Amnesty International petition in support of Meriam's release, including more than 150,000 in the UK. | Hundreds of thousands of people have signed an Amnesty International petition in support of Meriam's release, including more than 150,000 in the UK. |
| Britain's Foreign Office and the US state department have condemned the convictions and sentence. The UN, Canada and the Netherlands have also called on the Sudanese authorities to overturn the convictions and release Ibrahim. | Britain's Foreign Office and the US state department have condemned the convictions and sentence. The UN, Canada and the Netherlands have also called on the Sudanese authorities to overturn the convictions and release Ibrahim. |