British teacher jailed in Sudan reportedly says she is being well treated
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad, was quoted as saying Saturday that she is being treated well by her guards and thanked the British government for acting on her behalf.
"I'm fine. I'm well," Channel 4 News quoted her as saying in a statement the station said it had obtained from the legal team in Khartoum. "I want people to know I've been well treated, and especially that I'm well fed. I've been given so many apples I feel I could set up my own stall. The guards are constantly asking if I have everything I need."
She thanked everyone who has supported her, and said she was especially grateful that Prime Minister Gordon Brown had taken the time to call her son in England, Channel 4 News said.
"The Sudanese people in general have been pleasant and very generous, and I've had nothing but good experiences during my four months here. I'm really sad to leave, and if I could go back to work tomorrow then I would," the statement quoted her as saying.
Gibbons, 54, was sentenced to 15 days in jail and deportation after being convicted on Thursday of insulting Islam by allowing her 7-year-old students to name a teddy bear Muhammad - the name of Islam's prophet. But a judge acquitted her of inciting hatred and spared her the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.