WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States, backing staunch ally Britain, branded as "outrageous" the jail sentence of a British teacher in Sudan who let pupils call a teddy bear "Mohammed" as part of a class project.
"Obviously, it's an outrage," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said after a judicial source in Sudan said Gillian Gibbons, 54, would be jailed for 15 days for insulting Islam and then deported.
"We stand with our UK allies in trying to make sure that this woman is protected from the court that says that they want to impose this sentence on her," said Perino.
"Anyone looking at this on its face would have to conclude that it was outrageous."
Gibbons had faced the possibility of jail, flogging and a fine in the case that threatened a diplomatic row with Britain. The 15-day sentence will run from the time of her arrest on Sunday, the source said.
Perino said US President George W. Bush was not intervening in the situation, and added that "the British are handling that on their own."
The teddy bear case comes against a background of diplomatic tension between Sudan and the West over the crisis in violence wracked Darfur province.
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