A Sudanese Christian woman who was sentenced to die for refusing to renounce her faith – and then released – was detained with her family on Tuesday as they tried to leave the African country.
Her legal team told CNN that Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, her American husband, Daniel Wani and their two children were stopped at an airport in Khartoum and interrogated at national security headquarters in the Sudanese capital.
The problem involved what the legal team described as an alleged “irregularity with her documentation,” according to Ibrahim’s lawyers, who said she was in police custody.
Ibrahim has a U.S. visa and was headed to the United States with her family, her legal team said. The U.S. State Department said the family was stopped at the airport.
“The State Department has been informed by the Sudanese government that the family was temporarily detained at the airport for several hours by the government for questioning over issues related to their travel, and I think travel documents,” said spokeswoman Marie Harf. “They have not been arrested. The government has assured us of their safety.”
Harf said that the U.S. Embassy “has been and will remain highly involved in working with the family and the government,” saying “we are engaging directly with Sudanese officials to secure their safe and swift departure from Sudan.”
The airport detention came a day after Ibrahim’s legal team announced the 27-year-old woman had been released from prison after weeks of international controversy over her conviction on apostasy and adultery charges.