My initial reaction on hearing tonight's news that Liverpool schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons has been jailed for 15 days in Sudan was one of relief.
Considering that she could have faced the barbaric punishment of being lashed 40 times, or been given several months in prison, the sentence she faces appears mild by comparison.
One imagines that her rapid conviction for the offence of inciting hatred was politically motivated, with the intention of bringing this high profile case to a swift conclusion.
But the reality is that Mrs Gibbons has committed no crime. It is transparent on any sensible analysis that she meant absolutely no insult to anyone's religion, and that her motives in naming a teddy bear Mohammed were completely innocent, if perhaps a little misguided given the benefit of hindsight.
For a respectable 54 year-old mother of two to face the ordeal of 15 days imprisonment in such circumstances is utterly outrageous.
Reading about the circumstances of her trial, with no media present and an attempt made by police to keep out even her own lawyer, tells you all you need to know about justice Sudan-style.
The Foreign Office is right to express disappointment at her conviction and sentence. Justice will only be served in this case if Mrs Gibbons is immediately released, and then compensated by the Sudanese government for the nightmarish experience she has been subjected to. Can't see it happening though. Can you?
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
Ann Finlay wrote...
Dear Editor
In response to your blog of November 29th regarding the unlikelihood of Gillian Gibbons being compensated for her nightmarish experience, I should like to propose that you, her local newspaper, should be immediately active in rounding up both verbal and practical support for this ill-treated fellow citizen of yours.
I am a fellow teacher,born in Liverpool,who can relate to the innocence of her motives, and feel particularly sad that Mrs Gibbons'generosity in taking her skills to less privileged children has been thus 'rewarded'.
I propose that you launch an internet site for messages of support and/or donations for Gillian Gibbons. Her homecoming may be a little warmed by knowledge of the extent of her support.
(If there is already such a site, I failed to find it on Google.)
Regards
Ann Finlay
Leamington Spa
Posted by: Ann Finlay | November 30, 2007 12:06 PM