Sudanese woman Meriam Ibrahim, who was sentenced to hang for apostasy last month, has been released from prison following intense public pressure for a reversal of the judgment.

State media announced that Khartoum's Court of Cassation canceled the death sentence. The Sudan appeals court ruled that the initial verdict was "faulty," said Ibrahim's lawyer, Mohaned Mustafa El-Nour, on Monday although he has declined to elaborate.

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Last May, 27-year-old Ibrahim, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was sentenced to death for refusing to denounce her Christian faith.

"I was never a Muslim. I was raised a Christian from the start," she told a judge during her May hearing.

"I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian," she stressed.

Since then, she has been detained in a women's prison accompanied by her 20-month old son, whom officials claimed was free to leave anytime, and where she gave birth to a baby girl.

When news of Ibrahim's sentence broke, the Sudan government faced strong opposition and criticism from several world leaders, international personalities and human rights groups that described the verdict as "barbaric."

U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said the ruling was a "sickening distortion of faith," while British Prime Minister David Cameron urged the Sudan government to reverse the sentence.

Human rights group Amnesty International and Christian advocacy group Hardwired also campaigned for the release of Ibrahim.

Tina Ramirez, executive director for Christian group, Hardwired, confirmed on Monday that Ibrahim had been released from prison. She speculated that Sudan President Omar al-Bashir had given in to public pressure and ordered the court to cancel the sentence.

"We are witnessing a historic moment - in the three decades of President Bashir's brutal dictatorship, millions have lost their lives, yet here stands one defenseless and innocent pregnant woman who forced President Bashir to respect her dignity and religious freedom," Ramirez said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also released a statement on the matter.

"We obviously welcome the decision by the Sudanese Appeals Court to order the release of Ms. Meriam Yahya Ibrahim Ishag," he said.

"Her case has rightly drawn the attention of the world and has been of deep concern to the United States government and many of our citizens and their representatives in Congress."

Meanwhile, it was revealed by Fox News that Ibrahim, together with husband Daniel Wani who is a U.S. citizen, and their two children, were taken to a secret location. Her lawyers are scheduled to meet with representatives from the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday.

TagsMeriam ibrahim, Apostasy, Daniel Wani, Sudan