Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag

Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag or Maryam Yaḥyā Ibrahīm Isḥaq (مريم يحيى إبراهيم إسحق, born 3 November 1987 in Al Qadarif state, Sudan)"La Soudanaise Meriam Ishag toujours interrogée par la police", Agence France Presse, 25 June 2014 is a Sudanese woman who gained international attention after being sentenced to death in Sudan for apostasy and adultery because of her Christian faith. She was later released and moved to the United States, where she became a human-rights activist. Her case highlighted issues of religious freedom, women’s rights, and the treatment of religious minorities in Sudan.

 Early life and background 
Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was born on 3 November 1987 in Al Qadarif State, Sudan. Her father was a Muslim Sudanese man and her mother was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. Her father left the family and her mother raised her from early childhood. Although she was brought up in her mother’s Christian faith, under Sudanese Islamic law she was considered a Muslim because her father was Muslim.

 Arrest, charges and sentencing 
Mariam married a Christian man, Daniel Wani. Because she was legally viewed as Muslim, the marriage was treated as invalid under Sudan’s interpretation of Islamic law.
She was accused of apostasy (leaving Islam) and adultery by a relative who claimed she was marrying outside her faith.

On 15 May 2014, the court in Sudan sentenced her to death for apostasy. She was also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery, even though the alleged adultery was with her husband.

While she was pregnant, she was kept in Omdurman Federal Women’s Prison along with her young son. She gave birth to a daughter on 27 May 2014, while still in prison and while shackled.

During her imprisonment, she was reportedly visited by Muslim scholars who read the Qur’an and tried to persuade her to convert. She was denied proper medical care even though she was eight months pregnant.

 Appeal, release and departure from Sudan 
On 24 June 2014 an appeal court in Sudan ordered her release.
The next day, as she and her family tried to leave Sudan for the United States, they were briefly detained again at the airport and taken back to Khartoum for questioning.

After negotiations, she left Sudan on 24 July 2014 on a plane provided by the Italian government and arrived in Rome.

 Life after migration and activism 
The family lived for about two years in New Hampshire, USA, and later moved to Virginia. Mariam now works as a human-rights activist. She advocates for people facing religious persecution, and for women suffering from gender-based violence and domestic abuse.

 Reactions and significance 
Her case attracted global attention. Many human-rights organisations condemned her sentence as a serious violation of freedom of religion.

Governments of several countries — including the UK, Canada, the Netherlands and the US — expressed deep concern and urged Sudan to respect religious freedom.

Her case also sparked discussion about how some governments use religious law or allegations of apostasy for political ends. Some analysts argued her case was part of a broader pattern of repression of religious minorities in Sudan.

 References 

Category:1987 births
Category:Living people
Category:Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
Category:Human rights abuses in Sudan
Category:Sudanese Christians
Category:Sudanese prisoners sentenced to death
Category:Sudanese women
Category:Apostasy in Islam
Category:Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Sudan
Category:2010s in Sudan
Category:Persecution of Christians by Muslims
Category:Prisoners sentenced to death by Sudan
Category:Sudanese emigrants to the United States