Man imprisoned in Sudan returns to Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (KMTR) -- Rudwan Dawod is back home in Springfield after spending the summer imprisoned in Sudan. He was arrested in July in a peaceful protest and was finally freed just in time to welcome his baby girl, due this month.
Rudwan says when he woke up back at home Thursday morning he had to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He's been wrongfully arrested twice and tortured in Sudanese jails. Now that he's home, he's looking ahead but hasn't forgotten the reasons he went back to Sudan in the first place.
Rudwan’s wife Nancy will give birth to a baby girl in just a couple of weeks. Rudwan says he wasn't sure if he would ever meet his daughter, "Even though I had the feeling that I might not come back to the U.S., I might not see my wife and all my friends, I might not even be alive. But I didn't really lose the hope." Nancy added, "Right now we just really want this time together as a family. So I just really cherish these days that we'll have."
The Dawods hope to share their story in a book someday. They say there's still so much work to do for the people in Sudan. They'll keep doing all they can from the U.S., and plan to return to Sudan someday, but say it's not safe for them right now.
Rudwan will continue his studies at Lane Community College starting in January. Until then, he's got some free time to help take care of the baby. He and Nancy want to keep spreading the word about the plight of people in Sudan. You can learn more about their cause at sudansunrise.org.
