Condemning the death sentence against Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a Sudanese Christian woman accused of apostasy.

Condemning the death sentence against Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a Sudanese Christian woman accused of apostasy. Whereas, on May 15, 2014, a Sudanese court affirmed a sentence of death by hanging for 27-year-old Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a Christian woman accused of apostasy for refusing to recant her Christian faith, and ordered her to receive 100 lashes for adultery because under Sudans Shariah law such inter-religious marriages are illegal; Whereas Ibrahim is eight months pregnant and being held in the Omdurman Federal Womens Prison with her 20-month-old son; Whereas the Department of State has designated Sudan as a Country of Particular Concern Whereas the Sudanese 1991 Criminal Code allows for death sentences for apostasy, stoning for adultery, cross-amputations for theft, prison sentences for blasphemy, and floggings for undefined acts of indecency Whereas, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the Government of Sudan, led by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom or belief, imposes a restrictive interpretation of Shariah law on Muslims and non-Muslims alike and, along with other National Congress Party leaders, President al-Bashir has stated that Sudans new constitution, when drafted, will be based on its interpretation of Shariah; Whereas, according to USCIRF, since South Sudans independence from Sudan in 2011, the number and severity of harsh Shariah-based judicial decisions in Sudan has increased, including sentences of amputation for theft and sentences of stoning for adultery; Whereas the United States Government has designated Sudan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism since August 12, 1993, for repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism; Whereas the Sudanese 2005 Interim Constitution states that [t]he State shall respect the religious rights to (a) worship or assemble in connection with any religion or belief Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the Government of Sudan has acceded, provides that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience. and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching. Whereas the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life found that, as of 2011, 10 percent of the 198 countries surveyed had apostasy laws which can, and have been, used to punish both Muslims and non-Muslims in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco, and Sudan; and Whereas people have the right to practice their faith without fear of death or persecution: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) condemns the charge of apostasy and death sentence of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag and calls for immediate and unconditional release of her and her son; (2) encourages efforts by the United States Government to support religious freedom within Sudan, including by requiring, before normalizing relations or lifting sanctions under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 ( Public Law 105292 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq. (3) urges the Government of Sudan to ensure that, when drafting the countrys new constitution, the process is transparent and inclusive of civil society leaders and representatives of all major political parties, to ensure that the new constitution includes protections for freedom of religion or belief, respect for international human rights commitments, and recognition of Sudan as a multireligious, multiethnic, and multicultural nation; (4) recognizes that every individual regardless of religion should have the opportunity to practice his or her religion without fear of discrimination; (5) reaffirms the commitment of the United States Government to end religious discrimination and to pursue policies that guarantee the basic human rights of all individuals worldwide; and (6) encourages the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development to continue their support for initiatives worldwide that support religious freedom.

Summary: Condemns the charge of apostasy and death sentence of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag and calls for the release of her and her children. Encourages U.S. efforts to support religious freedom in Sudan, including by requiring before normalizing relations or lifting sanctions that Sudan abide by international standards of religious freedom. Urges the government of Sudan to ensure that the drafting process for the new constitution includes civil society leaders and representatives of all major political parties in order to ensure freedom of religion, respect for human rights, and recognition of Sudan as a multireligious, multiethnic, and multicultural nation. Recognizes that every individual should have the opportunity to practice his or her religion without fear of discrimination. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to end religious discrimination and to pursue policies that guarantee the basic human rights of all individuals. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue their support for initiatives worldwide that support religious freedom.