British 'blasphemy' teacher freed from jail

Monday, 3 December 2007 12:00 AM

The British teacher jailed in Sudan for naming a teddy bear Muhammad is to be freed.

Two Muslim peers have secured the release of Gillian Gibbons after meeting with Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and Lord Nazir Ahmed flew to the country at the weekend for a series of "difficult" negotiations with Sudanese officials.

Lord Ahmed confirmed the president had agreed to a pardon, which could see Ms Gibbons return to the UK as early as today.

The prime minister said he was delighted to hear of Ms Gibbons' release, saying "common sense had prevailed".

Ms Gibbons was jailed on Thursday for 15 days after a court convicted her of blasphemy.

The 54-year-old teacher was arrested after a colleague at the Unity High School in Khartoum complained she had allowed her class of seven-year-olds to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Hardliners in the country argued Ms Gibbons should be harshly punished and protestors on Friday called for her execution.

In a statement this morning, Mr Brown said: "I was delighted and relieved to hear the news that Gillian Gibbons is to be freed.

"Common sense has prevailed. She will be released into the care of our embassy in Khartoum after what must have been a difficult ordeal."

He continued: "Through the course of Ms Gibbons' detention I was glad to see Muslim groups across the UK express strong support for her case.

"I applaud the particular efforts of Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi in securing her freedom. I am also grateful to our officials for all their work behind the scenes."

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) was also among those welcoming news of Ms Gibbons' release.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the NUT, said: "I am delighted that Gillian Gibbons has been released from prison in Sudan.

"I would like to thank David Miliband, the Foreign and Commonwealth office as well as Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi for all the work they have done to secure her release."

Tags:
• africa
,
• foreign policy
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• sudan