Issue #16847: Fixed improper use of _PyUnicode_CheckConsistency() in
non-pydebug builds. Several extension modules now compile cleanly when
assert()s are enabled in standard builds (-DDEBUG flag).
diff --git a/Modules/sha256module.c b/Modules/sha256module.c
index 76d91af..9f6b416 100644
--- a/Modules/sha256module.c
+++ b/Modules/sha256module.c
@@ -466,7 +466,9 @@
         c = (digest[i] & 0xf);
         hex_digest[j++] = Py_hexdigits[c];
     }
+#ifdef Py_DEBUG
     assert(_PyUnicode_CheckConsistency(retval, 1));
+#endif
     return retval;
 }