KHARTOUM - Two British Muslim peers arrived in Sudan early on Saturday on a personal mission to secure the early release of an English teacher convicted of insulting religion by letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammad.
Lord Ahmed, from the ruling Labour party, and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, an opposition Conservative, hope to meet Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to discuss the case of Gillian Gibbons, who was sentenced to 15 days in jail and deportation.
"They have arrived and they have a series of meetings lined up, including with the president," said a source close to the Sudanese government.
"An appeal from a fellow Muslim could have an impact," said the source, adding that the peers also hoped to visit Gibbons, a 54-year-old from Liverpool who began her seventh day in detention on Saturday.
Her lawyers and British embassy staff have refused to give details of her location after hundreds of Muslims took to the streets of the capital on Friday, many waving swords and green Islamic flags, calling for her death.
Gibbons' chief defence lawyer, Kamal al-Jazouli, said she was in a well-guarded location, separate from other prisoners.
"I have visited her yesterday and she has a good room with a good bed. They are bringing her everything she needs." He said he gave Gibbons only a brief description of the protests to keep her from worrying.
CONCERN FOR HER SAFETY
