3 December 2007
Gordon Brown has welcomed the release of teacher Gillian Gibbons from detention in Sudan following a pardon from Sudanese Prime Minister Omar al-Bashir.
The move came after discussions between Mr al-Bashir and a British delegation led by Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi. In a Downing Street statement, the PM said that "common sense has prevailed" in the matter.
Mrs Gibbons was jailed for 15 days by a court in Sudan for allowing a child in her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad. She will be released into the care of the British embassy in Khartoum after what the Prime Minister called a "difficult ordeal".
Speaking to journalists today, the PM said that the imprisonment of Mrs Gibbons had been "completely unacceptable" and that he hoped her release would bring some "peace of mind" to her family.
Read the PM’s statement
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.
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.
Image copyright: Reuters
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