David Cameron condemns Meriam Ibrahim death sentence in Sudan

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag says that as she was brought up a Christian, she had not committed apostasy

David Cameron has urged the Sudanese government to lift the "barbaric" death sentence given to a mother accused of leaving Islam to marry a Christian man.

The PM said he was "absolutely appalled" by the treatment of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag in Sudan, who gave birth in her cell on Wednesday.

Ms Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim, is sentenced to hang for abandoning her religious faith.

UK leaders Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband also condemned the sentence.

Mr Cameron said the treatment of Ms Ibrahim had "no place in today's world" and said the UK would "continue to press the government of Sudan to act".

"Religious freedom is an absolute, fundamental human right.

"I urge the government of Sudan to overturn the sentence and immediately provide appropriate support and medical care for her and her children," he said.

Even though Ms Ibrahim, 27, was brought up as an Orthodox Christian by her mother, a court in Sudan ruled earlier this month that she was Muslim because it was her father's faith.

She has refused to renounce the faith and has been sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy.

'Utterly appalling'
Her Christian marriage, in 2011, has also been annulled and she has been sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery because her marriage was not valid under Islamic law.

Sudan has a majority Muslim population and Islamic law has been in force there since the 1980s.

Deputy prime minister Mr Clegg called the sentence "abhorrent" and said it was a "flagrant breach of international human rights".

"This case is a grave violation of the basic right and freedom to practise one's religion," he said.

Labour leader Mr Miliband said the incarceration of Ms Ibrahim was "utterly appalling and an abhorrent abuse of her human rights".

"Nobody should be persecuted because of the religion they practice or the person they fall in love with.

"I cannot imagine the suffering - both physical and emotional - that Meriam, her husband and their two young children must be going through," he said.

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair has also described the case as a "brutal and sickening distortion of faith".

Ms Ibrahim will be allowed to nurse her daughter for up to two years before the sentence is carried out

The human rights organisation Amnesty International meanwhile has launched a petition calling for the Sudanese government to release Ms Ibrahim.

Her husband, Daniel Wani, who is a US citizen, told the BBC he was hopeful an appeal against the sentence would be successful.

Mr Wani said he had seen his new daughter in prison on Wednesday - saying that mother and baby were both doing well.

However, he said he was most concerned about his 20-month-old son, who has been living with his mother in prison since February.

"His attitude has changed a lot," Mr Wani said of his son.

"He used to be a happy boy. When I went there, he just looked at me. No smile," he said. BBC