British Teddy row teacher freed from jail in Sudan after successful appeal by two UK members of the House of Lords

Michael Ireland : Dec 3, 2007
ASSIST News Service

"This is a case which is [an] unfortunate, unintentional, innocent misunderstanding…."

(Khartoum, Sudan)—A UK teacher has been released and handed over to British officials in Sudan after being jailed for letting her class name a teddy bear Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, England, was freed after eight days in custody. She had been given a 15-day jail term.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir pardoned her after talks with two British Muslim peers. In a statement, Mrs. Gibbons apologized for "any distress." UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "delighted" at her release.

Mrs. Gibbons, who is a mother of two children, has been released into the care of the British embassy in Khartoum, but her exact location has not been disclosed. She was released four days after receiving a 15-day sentence for insulting religion.

Mrs. Gibbons was arrested on November 25 and jailed on November 29, after allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad. She was arrested after another member of staff at Unity High School complained to the Ministry of Education about the incident in September.

The press office of President al-Bashir announced that he had pardoned Mrs. Gibbons following his meeting with Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed, both members of the British House of Lords, and that she had been "released after their mediation."

In a statement read out by Baroness Warsi, Mrs. Gibbons said: "I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone and I am sorry if I caused any distress. I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends but I am very sorry that I will be unable to return to Sudan and work in Unity High School as the teacher of 2X."

The BBC said Lord Ahmed thanked the president for granting the pardon and said both he and Baroness Warsi were proud to have been able to help Mrs. Gibbons. "This is a case which is unfortunate, unintentional, innocent misunderstanding, and as British Muslim parliamentarians we, Baroness Warsi and myself, feel proud that we've been able to secure Gillian Gibbons' release."

Dr Khalid al-Mubarak, of the Sudanese embassy in London, said he hoped the affair would not damage relations between Sudan and the UK. "I think this is the correct resolution—pardoned and released early," he told BBC News.

"The word pardoned also means that the original mistake has been—not forgotten—but behind us now."

For the full ANS report, follow the link.