Letter
Letter to Secretary of State Kerry on the Death Sentence of Ms. Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, June 18, 2014
Letter from Bishop Richard E. Pates, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace to Secretary of State John Kerry on the Death Sentence of Ms. Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, June 18, 2014
As Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I write to share with you the concerns of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) regarding the situation surrounding Ms. Mariam Yahya Ibrahim. The SCC, which includes the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, points out that the court decision finding her guilty of apostasy and sentencing her to death violated Sudanese law and the International Convention on Human Rights, the latter of which Sudan has signed and ratified.
We join the SCC in rejecting the apostasy verdict and support their calls to abolish the court decision and release Ms. Ibrahim immediately. Like the SCC, we believe that the decision is a “clear and direct persecution of Christians and Sudanese Churches.” The SCC noted the many cultural, ethnic and religious communities, including Christians, which make up Sudan’s social fabric. The SCC urges Sudanese citizens to reinforce peaceful coexistence, to reject threats to social cohesion, and to support the President’s call for a dialogue that “fosters the spirit of patriotism” among all Sudanese, regardless of their religion.