25th June, 2014
One day after being released from prison, Meriam Ibrahim was detained again as she and her family tried to leave the country — only to be released again, according to US officials.
The BBC reported that Ibrahiim and her family ran into complications at the Khartoum airport:
"They were temporarily detained for several hours over questions related to their documents," the BBC quoted Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the US state department, as telling journalists.
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"The (US) State Dept said that they were held reportedly for not having the proper documentation to leave the country. State and the embassy are working on it to get her on a plane to South Sudan where they will complete the paperwork for the family to travel to the US." – Tina Ramirez, president of Hardwired Inc, in an email to World Watch Monitor |
Earlier Tuesday, citing unnamed sources, the BBC reported: "About 40 security agents detained Mrs Ibrahim – along with her husband Daniel Wani and two sons – at the airport, the sources said."
Bloomberg reported that Ibrahim and her family were attempting to take a flight out of the country. That was affirmed by Tina Ramirez, president of Hardwired Inc, a nonprofit organisation that provides legal training to young people to advocate for freedom of conscience and belief. It has legal contacts in Sudan and elsewhere.
"The (US) State Dept said that they were held reportedly for not having the proper documentation to leave the country," Ramirez wrote in an email to World Watch Monitor. "State and the embassy are working on it to get her on a plane to South Sudan where they will complete the paperwork for the family to travel to the US."
The Daily Mail in Britain cited Ibrahim’s lawyer, Shareif Ali Shareif, as saying national security forces detained the family.
"The children are with Meriam. They were arrested as well," Shareif was quoted as saying. "We don’t have any information about what charges they face. But the National Security force does not have to take them to court. This is not a criminal matter, it a national security matter."
The Paris-based Sudan Tribune reported that Sudan Foreign Undersecretary Abdallah Al-Azraq told reporters Tuesday that Ibrahim, a Sudanese national, presented a travel document issued by the Republic of South Sudan with an entry visa for the United States.
"A female diplomat from the US embassy in Khartoum who was accompanying the family failed to persuade the security authorities to allow their departure," the Tribune reported.
