Sudan’s foreign ministry has backed away from its statement yesterday that Meriam Ibrahim, sentenced to death for apostasy, would be released in coming days.

Ms Ibrahim has been imprisoned since February and was sentenced to death last month for converting to Christianity. She was given three days to “return to Islam”, but refused. She gave birth to a baby girl, named Maya in prison last week, and her 20-month-old son Martin is also with her.

Meriam says she was brought up as a Christian by her Christian mother, but as the daughter of a Muslim man, the Sudanese Government says she has converted from Islam, a crime carrying the death penalty.

Yesterday, Sudan’s foreign ministry under-secretary, Abdullahi Alzareg told the world’s media that the new mother would be freed. But Ms Ibrahim’s lawyer, Elshareef Ali Elshareef Mohammed has said those reports are “absurd”. He’s accused the Sudanese government official of making his statement in order to take the heat out of the campaign for Miriam’s release, which has gained a lot of momentum around the world.

Overnight, the foreign ministry has clarified its position, saying Ms Ibrahim could only be released after a successful judicial appeal. Elshareef told UK TV that that process could take months.

British Prime Minister David Cameron made a statement about Meriam Ibrahim’s situation over the weekend, saying he is “absolutely appalled” by her sentence.

“The way she is being treated is barbaric and has no place in today’s world. Religious freedom is an absolute, fundamental human right.”

The UN, Canada and The Netherlands have also called for Sudanese authorities to overturn the decision.

Meriam’s husband, David Wani, has joint Sudan/US citizenship, and lives in New Hampshire in the United States. He has been granted visiting rights to see his family, though his children are not allowed to live with him because he is of the Christian faith. Despite Wani’s US ties, he told CNN that his wife’s case has had little support by the US Embassy.

In mid-May the US Department of State released a statement saying they were “deeply disturbed” over the sentence, but understood the decision could be appealed. It urged the Sudanese legal authorities to “approach this case with the compassion that is in keeping with the values of the Sudanese people.”

Close to 230,000 have signed an Amnesty International UK petition to free Meriam, and another 739,000 have signed the #SaveMeriam petition on change.org, also started by an activist in the UK.