SENATE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES SHAHEEN-BACKED BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION CONDEMNING DEATH SENTENCE OF MERIAM YAHIA IBRAHIM ISHAG
Resolution calls for ‘immediate and unconditional release’ of woman married to New Hampshire man and mother of two
(Washington, DC) – The U.S. Senate tonight unanimously condemned the sentencing of Sudanese woman Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag to death by hanging for refusing to renounce her Christian faith when it passed a bipartisan resolution co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). The resolution, led by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and introduced last week, strongly condemns the Sudanese’s sentence of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag – who is married to Daniel Wani, a man originally from Sudan with U.S. citizenship living in New Hampshire—and calls for the “immediate and unconditional release” of her and her children.
“No one should be persecuted for exercising the basic right of religious freedom and the Sudanese government's sentencing was a gross violation of fundamental human rights." Shaheen said. “This resolution clearly condemns the Sudanese government’s sentencing as inhumane and unjust, and I will continue to work through every avenue to secure Meriam’s release so her family can be reunited.”
Shaheen, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has also sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the U.S. State Department to use every means of leverage at its disposal to ensure the safe release of Ms. Ibrahim.
