The United States government has called on Sudan's authorities to drop charges against the 25 Muslims who were arrested and charged with apostasy earlier this month after they denied the Hadith.

Robert P George, chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said the 25 Muslims are 'prisoners of conscious.'

“These charges contradict Sudan’s constitutional commitments to freedom of religion or belief, religious diversity and religious tolerance," George said. “These arrests and the increased penalties for apostasy highlight the fact that the Sudanese government continues to violate, on a systematic, ongoing and egregious basis, the religious freedom rights of its citizens."

Apostasy can carry the death penalty according to Sudan's criminal code.

Christian aid group shut

Meanwhile, Sudan's government closed down the offices of Tearfund, a Christian-based relief organization, on 14 December, the UN's humanitarian office said this week. The UN said Tearfund's offices in Sudan were visited by government officials and asked to close.

No reason was given for the closure. Tearfund was providing nutrition assistance to people in Darfur region.

Related:

27 Sudanese Muslims face apostasy charges (7 Dec.)