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Christian Couple Faces Death Sentence after Daughter Dies

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An American Christian couple in Qatar is facing a death sentence after their adopted daughter died unexpectedly in their home on January 15, 2013.

The Qatari government alleges that Matthew and Grace Huang starved their 8-year-old daughter Gloria to death to traffic her organs.

Matthew Huang, an engineer, had agreed to work on engineering projects in Doha for the Colorado-based company MWH Global. He and his family moved to the Middle East with their two sons and a daughter, each adopted from Africa.

**CBN News Reporter Charlene Aaron spoke with Matthew and Grace Haung via Skype from Doha Qatar. Click play for their story.

The couple was charged with murder and on March 27 they were sentenced to three years in prison. They spent 11 months in an Islamic prison before a judge granted bail last November.

There was no physical evidence that the child suffered starvation or trauma. While it is unclear how Gloria died, the Haungs said she suffered from an eating disorder common to some children from impoverished countries.

But Qatari police immediately suspected foul play.

Adoption is rare in an Islamic nation and biracial famliles are scarce. The government of Qatar accused the Haungs, who are Asian, of adopting their African children for the purpose of human trafficking.

World News Service reports that the lead prosecutor on the case cited an Islamic prohibition on adoption: "Allah has banned it as it leads to assembling of foreigners with each other, which leads to extremely bad outcomes."

Authorities sent the couple's two sons to an orphanage, but later allowed them to return to the United States to live with Grace's parents.

Members of Haung's Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, Californa, have been holding prayer vigils for the family.

In the next hearing in the case, scheduled for Nov. 30, they could be sentenced to death.

The Huangs, who are now under a travel ban and house arrest, have found legal help from U.S.-based organizations like the David House Agency and the California Innocence Project.

Justin Brooks of the Innocence Project calls the prosecution's assertions "outrageous" and says the case "completely lacks any due process."

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said they're concerned that not all of the evidence has been heard in the case and that cultural misunderstandings have led to an unfair trial.

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About The Author

Charlene Aaron
Charlene
Aaron

Charlene Aaron serves as a general assignment reporter, news anchor, co-host of The 700 Club, co-host of 700 Club Interactive, and co-host of The Prayerlink on the CBN News Channel. She covers various social issues, such as abortion, gender identity, race relations, and more. Before joining CBN News in 2003, she was a personal letter writer for Dr. Pat Robertson. Charlene attended Old Dominion University and Elizabeth City State University. She is an ordained minister and pastor’s wife. She lives in Smithfield, VA, with her husband.