KHARTOUM, Sudan — Four Christians possibly facing the death penalty for apostasy saw their charges dismissed Sept. 8.
A Sudanese court stated that apostasy is not a crime anymore in Sudan and dismissed the charges, reported Morning Star News.
The four — Bader el Dean Haroon Abdel Jabaar; brother, Mohammad Haroon Abdel Jabaar; Tariq Adam Abdalla; and Morthada Ismail — converted to Christianity from Islam. They were arrested June 24 at the church they had formed in Zalingei in Sudan’s Central Darfur state and released the same day. On June 28, they were arrested again, then released on bail in July.
They were told July 3 they would be sentenced to death, unless they turned from Christianity and ceased all Christian activities, states Christian Solidarity Worldwide. When they refused to comply with the demands, apostasy charges resulted.
Sudan’s transitional government decriminalized apostasy in July 2020, says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. However, a military coup in October 2021 may adversely affect Sudan’s advances in religious freedom, Morning Star reported.
Sudan is No. 13 on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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