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'Now I own my life': Saudi sisters who fled family granted asylum
Source: The Guardian
'Now I own my life': Saudi sisters who fled family granted asylum
Pair, given asylum in undisclosed country, faced recriminations in kingdom
Frances Perraudin
Mon 25 Mar 2019 15.33 GMT Last modified on Mon 25 Mar 2019 16.01 GMT
Two Saudi sisters who say they were beaten and treated like slaves by their brothers and father have been granted asylum in an undisclosed country.
The women, aged 18 and 20, ran away from their family last September while on holiday in Sri Lanka and have been stranded in Hong Kong since an abandoned attempt to reach Australia, where they hoped to secure asylum.
The sisters, who are known by the pseudonyms Reem and Rawan, have asked for the country which granted them asylum to remain confidential.
-snip-
The women arrived in Hong Kong in September after planning their escape over several years and secretly hoarding around $5,000. They were blocked from continuing their journey to Australia by Saudi consular agents at Hong Kong international airport and had their passports revoked.
Had they been forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia they would have been at risk of criminal charges for leaving their homes without the permission of their male guardian, for escaping the country and for renouncing Islam.
-snip-
Pair, given asylum in undisclosed country, faced recriminations in kingdom
Frances Perraudin
Mon 25 Mar 2019 15.33 GMT Last modified on Mon 25 Mar 2019 16.01 GMT
Two Saudi sisters who say they were beaten and treated like slaves by their brothers and father have been granted asylum in an undisclosed country.
The women, aged 18 and 20, ran away from their family last September while on holiday in Sri Lanka and have been stranded in Hong Kong since an abandoned attempt to reach Australia, where they hoped to secure asylum.
The sisters, who are known by the pseudonyms Reem and Rawan, have asked for the country which granted them asylum to remain confidential.
-snip-
The women arrived in Hong Kong in September after planning their escape over several years and secretly hoarding around $5,000. They were blocked from continuing their journey to Australia by Saudi consular agents at Hong Kong international airport and had their passports revoked.
Had they been forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia they would have been at risk of criminal charges for leaving their homes without the permission of their male guardian, for escaping the country and for renouncing Islam.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/25/now-i-own-my-life-saudi-sisters-who-fled-family-granted-asylum
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