Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued this statement in response to the news that Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese Christian woman, has been released from prison in Sudan after she had been convicted of apostasy:

“Meriam's release is the best news story to come out of Khartoum in a very long time. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has been closely following her case.  While her freedom is a welcome development, apostasy laws around world need to be abolished so that others don’t face the same injustice.”