Amin Ismail freed after more than a year in prison
The son of Pastor Ismail Azzaz walked out of Kobar prison in Khartoum, but he remains at risk as long as he stays in the capital.
Amin Ismail spent more than a year in Kobar prison in Khartoum, one of the harshest jails in Sudan. He is now free, International Christian Concern (ICC), an organization that works with persecuted Christians, reported.
Jailed because of his father's name
Amin did not end up in that cell for a crime of his own. He is the son of Pastor Ismail Azzaz, a church leader who refused to hand over congregation land under government pressure, according to ICC.
Azzaz fled Sudan years earlier, after resisting attempts to bring the church under state control. To protect his children, he separated them and spread them out to different places.
«Freedom from Kobar does not yet mean being out of danger»
The same organization records another motive in Amin's case: a powerful man in the capital wanted his wife.
In July 2025, Amin went back to Khartoum to visit his wife. The next day he was arrested. The courts declared him innocent repeatedly, and he still stayed behind bars.
There were also threats. According to ICC, attempts were made to arrange his release with a sinister purpose: to have him killed on the other side of the prison walls.
Free, but still in the capital
The door opened. Amin walked out of Kobar and spoke from a place ICC describes as safe, inside the capital. He thanked people for the prayers and help he received.
"I know it was the Lord who opened the door, and I keep trusting that he will take me safely out of the capital" (Sígueme translation).
ICC counts the release as an answer to the prayers of many people, including the intercession and efforts of its partners. What no human effort could achieve, it says, the Lord did.
The relief does not erase the risk. His life remains in danger as long as he stays in Khartoum, and those who wanted to harm him have not gone away. The family is moving forward with caution.
His father, still in exile, rejoices with trembling: prison is behind them, but the road to complete safety has not closed. A member of the ICC team said they give thanks to the Lord for this answer and continue to bring Amin, his wife and the whole family before the throne of grace.
How to stand with this family
The requests are specific: protection, wisdom and a future without fear, according to ICC. Also a safe way out of the capital, because freedom from Kobar does not yet mean being out of danger.
"The Lord sets the prisoners free" (Psalm 146:7, ESV). The psalm speaks of God executing justice for the oppressed and giving food to the hungry. Here, one of those doors opened after a long time of waiting.
This family's story also shows the cost: a father who lost his country, children separated to survive, and more than a year in prison for a man the courts declared innocent.
If you want to join in, pray this week for Amin, for his wife and for his father in exile. Write their names where you can see them, so you don't forget them when the news cycle moves on. The question remains open: what do you do with the freedom of a brother who still cannot walk his own city in peace?
