A woman in Sudan has been sentenced to death for not renouncing her Christian faith, as well as other offenses in the country.
"I'm frustrated, and I don't know what to do."
That is 27-year-old Meriam Yeyha Ibrahim's husband. Courts said she had until Thursday to say she was no longer a Christian.
CNN reports she was sentenced after she had refused to follow the court's orders. She was also convicted for adultery because she's married to a Christian. The court claims she's a Muslim, and Sharia law doesn't recognize marriages between Muslims and Christians.
Ibrahim says her father is a Muslim, and her mother is a Christian. According to CNN, once her father left the family when she was about 6 years old, her mother raised her as a Christian.
For now, Ibrahim is in prison along with her young son — some reports say he is younger than 2 years old. According to the Los Angeles Times, the boy is being held there because authorities say he can't live with his Christian father.
According to reports, Ibrahim is also eight months pregnant. The BBC points to local media outlets in Sudan which say she would be executed two years after giving birth.
NBC reports Ibrahim is the first person Sudan to refuse to recant their Christian faith in court. The offense has been considered punishable by death for nearly 25 years.
"It just demonstrates the risk when Sharia law is implemented to the fullest extent. ... These are not isolated incidents." (Via Fox News)
In a statement, human rights group Amnesty International called the sentence "abhorrent" and says the incident violates international human rights law.
"Meriam is a prisoner of conscience, convicted solely because of her religious beliefs and identity, and must be released immediately and unconditionally."
According to the BBC, it's rare for Sudan to actually carry out death sentences. Ibrahim's lawyers say they plan to appeal her death sentence.
