Lawmakers Review 'Troubling Case of Meriam Ibrahim'

A House panel is holding a hearing Wednesday on the plight of Meriam Ibrahim, the Christian woman stuck in Sudan after her death sentence for apostasy was overturned.

Ibrahim, 27, had been sentenced to death for marrying a Christian, who is an American citizen, and for abandoning the Muslim faith.

A judge dropped the sentence after international outcry, but not before Ibrahim was forced to give birth to her second child in shackles.

Sign the petition to help free Meriam Ibrahim and change Sudan's oppressive apostasy laws.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, will oversee the hearing, titled "The Troubling Case of Meriam Ibrahim."

"Meriam Ibrahim Ishag has been imprisoned in Sudan in fear of execution, chained during the late stages of her pregnancy, forced to give birth in prison, released from prison, and re-arrested on flimsy charges," Smith said.

"This all is the result of her being Christian in a country in which the ruling authorities refuse to recognize the right of people to choose their own religion," he added. "Our hearing will examine this troubling violation of a basic human right."

The pro-life lawmaker warned there are renewed efforts to put the Christian mother of two back in prison.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim's family is suing to annul her marriage Christian U.S. citizen Daniel Wani.

Until that case is resolved, she and her family must remain at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, where they await permission to leave Sudan.