By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)-- Thirty-eight U.S. lawmakers sent an open letter to Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday urging him to expedite the case of Meriam Ibrahim, according to International Christian Concern.
A Sudanese national, Ibrahim is married to a U.S. citizen. She was sentenced to death in May by the Sudanese government for allegedly leaving Islam for Christianity, creating an international outcry from Western human rights groups.
The letter requested that the U.S. State Department reconsider granting Ibrahim asylum by all legal means to ensure that she and her two children have a safe haven and that it expedite the process of registering Ibrahim's children as U.S. citizens, a process the State Department has deliberately delayed.
"This letter comes at a critical juncture," said ICC's Advocacy Director, Isaac Six. "The State Department has rightly condemned Ibrahim death sentence and called for respect for religious freedom in Sudan, but for some unknown reason has repeatedly stalled the process of acknowledging that her children are U.S citizens. This acknowledgement would place even greater pressure on the Sudanese government, which is already feeling increasingly isolated by the international community over this case, to release Ibrahim. The U.S should make every possible effort now, while momentum is at its peak, to encourage Sudan to immediately release Ibrahim and her two children and guarantee that her entire family reach safety."