- Nada and Hamouda were imprisoned, prosecuted, and threatened with death for converting to Christianity in Sudan.
- ADF International supported their legal defence and orchestrated the family’s rescue; newly released video captures their ordeal.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (20 December 2023) – A married Sudanese couple and their children are now safe in the United States following baseless criminal charges and a sham trial carrying severe punishments following their conversion to Christianity. Nada (wife) and Hamouda (husband)* were criminally prosecuted and faced punishments of 100 lashes each, in addition to a year of expatriation for converting to Christianity in Sudan. Further, family members threatened to carry out honour killings to punish them for their conversions.
Although apostasy was decriminalized in Sudan in 2020, Christian converts continue to face persecution and criminal charges for their conversions through sham charges. In the case of Nada and Hamouda, prosecutors ultimately brought baseless charges of “criminal adultery” against the couple after the court deemed their marriage unlawful because of their conversions.
First Christmas in safety
ADF International allied lawyers represented Nada and Hamouda in court for months, but it became clear during the trial that the penalties and threats facing the couple were imminent and life-threatening. In conjunction with the Shai Fund and Ambassador Services International, ADF International secured the rescue of Nada, Hamouda, and their children safely out of Sudan to the United States.
“We are overjoyed that Nada, Hamouda, and their children are now able to practise their faith without fear for their lives. After facing imminent risk of death in Sudan, they are now looking forward to celebrating Christmas in their new home, alongside their new community and church family,” said Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International.
“While both international and Sudanese law protect Nada and Hamouda’s right to freely choose and live out their faith, it’s clear that Christian converts in Sudan continue to face severe threats and hostility from the government and community. ADF International is committed to providing the strongest legal defence for the persecuted Church, and we will continue to seek justice for those like Nada and Hamouda who are unjustly punished for their faith.”
Sham Criminal Charges Targeting Conversion
Nada and Hamouda were both Muslim when they married in 2016. When Hamouda converted to Christianity in 2018, Nada’s family exerted threats against her and applied pressure for her and her children to abandon Hamouda and return to live with her family. At the time, Sudan’s penal code included apostasy as a crime worthy of the death penalty. In 2020, apostasy was decriminalized in Sudan. Shortly thereafter, in 2021, Nada converted to Christianity and returned home to Hamouda with their children.
However, after Hamouda’s conversion to Christianity, the Sharia court dissolved his and Nada’s marriage, deeming it unlawful for a Muslim woman to be married to a Christian man. It was on the basis of their reunification as a family, now that their marriage was deemed unlawful, that they were prosecuted.
Either outcome at court could have resulted in death
In the newly released video, Zorzi explains, “Because of their conversions, the Sharia court determined that their marriage was invalid, and therefore the prosecutors were able to bring sham charges of adultery against them both because they reunited.”
Zorzi continues in the video, saying “ADF International fought tirelessly for justice for Nada and Hamouda in the courts. But, after months of hearings, it became clear that, if we lost the case, the punishment they faced could result in death. And if we won the case, Nada’s brother had publicly vowed to kill them himself. We knew we had to activate our networks to get them safely out of Sudan as quickly as possible.”
Only 4.4% of Sudan’s population of 44.6 million is Christian. According to Open Doors, Christian women and girls in Sudan, particularly converts, are vulnerable to rape, forced marriage, and domestic violence because of their faith. Converts are also denied inheritance, and if they are already married, are forcibly divorced from their husbands.
*Surnames withheld
