Meriam Yehya Ibrahim apostasy sharia law Sudan
Daniel Wani with his wife Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, who was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Gabriel Wani/Facebook

A Sudanese court has ordered the release of a Christian woman sentenced to death for abandoning Islam, according to local media.

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, 27, had her conviction for apostasy and adultery reversed by an appellate court, Sudan's SUNA news agency reports.

"The appeal court ordered the release of Meriam Yahia and the cancellation of the [previous] court ruling," the report said.

Born to a Christian mother and a Muslim father, Ibrahim was sentenced by a Khartoum court to death by hanging under the country's strict Sharia law after she married a Christian, Daniel Wani, in 2011.

In Sudan interfaith marriage is forbidden and, according to Islamic law, children inherit the father's religion while the mother's line is considered irrelevant.

Ibrahim claimed she was raised as a Christian and refused to renounce her faith. She was thus accused of renouncing Islam through her marriage and sentenced to death.

She was also sentenced to 100 lashes after being convicted of adultery, as her marriage was deemed invalid.

Ibrahim was thrown in jail with her 20-month-old son, and gave birth to a baby girl while in chains.

Her case had sparked global outrage. Earlier this month the British government called on Sudan to release her.

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