Sudan 'apostasy' woman Meriam Yahia Ibrahim flies to Italy

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

A Sudanese woman who was spared a death sentence for renouncing Islam has flown to Italy after more than a month in the US embassy in Khartoum.

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag and her family flew on an Italian government plane, accompanied by Italian minister Lapo Pistelli.
...
These new charges meant she was not allowed to leave the country but she was released into the custody of the US embassy in Khartoum.

Last week, her father's family filed a lawsuit trying to have her marriage annulled, on the basis that a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28460383

[NaturalHigh]

1. Good news!

I'm glad they got out of there.

[LeftishBrit]

2. That is a relief.

[Berlin Expat]

3. I was just

reading this on Al Jazeera, and in their story, even Mrs. Ishaq's own lawyer didn't know she was gone.

Mohaned Mostafa, Mariam Ishaq's lawyer, said he had not been told of her departure.

“I don't know anything about such news but so far the complaint that was filed against Mariam and which prevents her from traveling from Sudan has not been cancelled," Mostafa told Reuters.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2014/07/sudan-apostasy-woman-arrives-italy-201472483011438387.html

That sounds to me like the US and Italian authorities worked together to smuggle Mrs. Ishaq out of Sudan in classic extraction operation; when even her own lawyer had no idea that she had left Sudan, I'd be willing to wager a buck that there was some high-level intel involvement and cooperation in this particular instance. The intel and military community has a phrase for that....."operations security", or OPSEC.

Great news. I'm relieved she's outta there and I'm hoping she'll have a normal life once she gets to the United States.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Not necessarily:

Pistelli said Italy had become involved in the case because, as a Catholic country, it was very moved by Ibrahim's story and wanted to help.

Italy has good relations with Khartoum and offered to help the U.S. Embassy there to speed up the process of getting U.S. passports for Ibrahim and her family to leave the country, the minister said.

Pistelli said he had traveled to Sudan two weeks ago to start the process but it was not finalized until Wednesday night.

He posted an image to his Facebook page of himself with Ibrahim and the two infants, apparently taken on board the plane shortly before their arrival in Rome. "Mission accomplished," he wrote.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/sudanese-christian-woman-arrives-in-rome/27123168

If it really were 'smuggling', I doubt the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs would be getting such a prominent part in the news - that would look like rubbing the Sudanese's noses in it.

[Berlin Expat]

5. Good points.

I'm just surprised that even her own lawyer seemingly didn't know that she'd left the country. I would imagine that she - or someone - would have told Mr. Mostafa that something was afoot and that she would be leaving Sudan very soon. As he said, as far as he knew, the order that Mrs. Ishaq couldn't leave Sudan still stands and that order hadn't been cancelled.

In any event, I'm just glad she's outta there.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. It's possible they thought the more people knew, the more chance of something delaying it

That new lawsuit to have the marriage annulled, for instance - I could believe that the Sudanese immigration authorities might be unaware of it, and if her lawyer had been told about this, he might have had a professional obligation to point it out, and there might have been another delay.

Maybe it will become clearer what happened soon.

[Berlin Expat]

8. Not to mention

Mrs. Ishaq's so-called "family" down there in Sudan (the folks that want her dead - strange family) could've gotten wind of it at that point and then there may have been even further delays.

Like I said, I'm glad she's outta there. I'm a Muslim myself, but in my opinion these apostasy and blasphemy laws need to be repealed utterly. Those laws are exploited by far too many with nefarious ends, not to mention they contradict freedom of speech and freedom of thought.

[riderinthestorm]

12. Her family still wants her dead since its a violation against Islam, regardless of Sudanese law

[Princess Turandot]

13. The attorney might have some kind of reporting obligation...

if he knew his client was intending to violate that order. They may have been protecting him, by keeping him out of it.

[Berlin Expat]

16. That's a good point

as well; keeping him out of the loop may have been perceived of as the best thing to do, all things considered.

[7962]

7. Great! Nothing good was going to come if she stayed. nt

[cosmicone]

9. Religions are fucked up and

one is a royal fuck up especially in un/underdeveloped countries.

[rocktivity]

10. CUE THE VONAGE THEME!

The check cleared!


rocktivity

[riderinthestorm]

11. K&R. Yay!!!! Now I hope she can live the rest of her life in safety

Unfortunately, I fear for her future since her family basically seems intent on killing her...

[ChazII]

14. It is nice to have some good news for a change. n/t

[samsingh]

15. excellent