Sudanese 'apostasy' woman sentenced to death: Meriam Yahya Ibrahim gives birth in prison

Ms Ibrahim was eight months pregnant when she was sentenced to death for marrying a Christian man

A Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for ‘apostasy’ after marrying a Christian man has given birth in prison.

Meriam Yahya Ibrahim gave birth to a girl in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the hospital wing of a prison in Omdurman, Bloomberg has reported.

The 27-year-old doctor, whose father was Muslim but was raised as a Christian by her mother, was convicted of apostasy and adultery and sentenced to death after refusing to renounce her Christian faith during a four day ‘grace period’ while she was eight months pregnant.

The court in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum had also ordered that Ms Ibrahim be given 100 lashes for committing zena — meaning illegitimate sex in Arabic — for having sexual relations with a non-Muslim man.

Sudanese Parliament speaker Fatih Izz Al-Deen said her brother, a Muslim, filed the charges against her, according to CNN.

The complaint alleged she went missing for a number of years, and her family was shocked to find out she had married a Christian.

Muslim women in the conservative country are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith.

Her husband, Daniel Wani, told Fox News earlier this week that his wife would not convert to Islam. Mr Wani, who is an American citizen, said she spends her days “shackled” in prison with her 20-month-old son.

Her legal team filed an appeal with the Sudanese court on 22 May, her lawyer Elshareef Ali said. The appeals court are expected to make a ruling on the case next week after the documents used by the lower court in its ruling are submitted.