The AMA is urging Prime Minister Tony Abbott to contact the President of the Republic of Sudan to request the immediate, unconditional release from prison of young Sudanese doctor, Dr Meriam Yeyha Ibrahim.
According to Amnesty International, Dr Ibrahim has been incarcerated since August 2013 for the ‘crimes’ of adultery, apostasy (abandoning a belief or principle), for having married a Christian man, for asserting she is a Christian, not a Muslim, and for refusing to recant her faith. She was raised an Orthodox Christian by her mother.
Dr Ibrahim has been sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery, and death for apostasy.
AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said today that the AMA believes Dr Ibrahim is a prisoner of conscience.
In a letter to Prime Minister Abbott, A/Prof Owler said Dr Ibrahim’s incarceration and sentence are barbaric and in violation of international human rights.
“Dr Ibrahim was imprisoned while pregnant, and recently gave birth to her daughter in prison,” A/Prof Owler said.
“Her 20-month old son is also in prison with her.
“She is a prisoner of conscience, not a criminal, and should be released immediately.
“We urge the Australian Government to join the AMA, the World Medical Association, the British Medical Association, and other international organisations and governments in demanding that Dr Ibrahim’s sentence be overturned and that she be set free,” A/Prof Owler said.
In Sudan, a pregnant woman sentenced to death must be allowed to nurse her child for two years after the birth before the execution can proceed. Lawyers are currently appealing the case.
A/Prof Owler has also written directly to the President of the Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, raising the AMA’s concerns.