Escaped by violence, a marriage and a father. Why is the whole world talking about the escape of an 18 year old girl from Saudi Arabia?

An International Scandal about an 18-year-old Saudi Girl Living in Saudi Arabia, Who Was escaped from the country because of domestic violence human rights in this Arab state. "[Інцидент] was produced at a time when Riyadh was receiving special attention from its Western allies during the murder of journalist Jamal Hashukjegi at the consulate of Japan. Saudi Arabia in Istanbul in October, as well as the humanitarian consequences of the war in Yemen Reuters

HB tells why the story of the flight of Rafah Mohammed Al-Kunun, daughter of a Saudi official , hit the pages of Western media and was the subject of discussions between several countries, as well as major human rights organizations. [19659010] What happened [19659011] Rafah Mohammed Al-Qunun, a 18-year-old Saudi citizen, fled her family while her family was resting in Kuwait, arriving in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 6.

From there, the young girl was planning to continue her trip to Australia – she received a visa from three months for this country – and ask for shelter there, writes The Guradian.

However, at the airport in Thailand, according to the girl, Saudi diplomats took her passport forcibly – Saudi Arabia being prevented from traveling for women b from her husband "Guardian" and his family informed the authorities that Al-Qunun had gone on a trip without authorization.

I am 100% sure that as soon as I leave the Saudi prison, they will kill me [19659009] In turn, the Thai authorities refused to let him enter the country because he had no money or ticket round trip.

The girl then tried to draw the attention of the international community to her story by telling in social networks that she had pushed her to run away.

According to Al-Qunun, like many Saudi women, she is deprived of basic rights in her country. "I can not study and work in my country, so I want to be free, to learn and work as I want," she wrote on Twitter.

In addition, according to the girl, she had regularly suffered physical and moral violence in her family, especially from her father. "My family is extremely strict: once, I was locked in the room for six months because of my height," says Al-Qunun.

She also calls herself "ex-Muslim" and says that her relatives will not forgive her. the abdication of faith and, in case of return to Saudi Arabia, she risks prison and death.

"I am 100% sure that as soon as I leave the Saudi prison they will kill me, I am afraid and I lose hope," wrote Al-Kunun in a desperate situation in Bangkok. On January 6, she also sought asylum from several Western powers, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia.

The Guradian also cites a 20-year-old girlfriend of a runaway – she is also a citizen of Saudi Arabia and moved to Australia about a year ago.

"She has a very strict family, they used force, she suffered sexual violence," said her friend Al-Kunun, whose name does not call him for security reasons. She received threats from her cousin – he said that he wanted to see his blood and that he wanted to kill her. "

A fugitive friend also spoke of the harsh traditions of the kingdom and asked her to take seriously her statements on the risk of death upon her return to her homeland.

" They [родичі] do not kill her, they will not be able to appear on people afterwards [зречення аль-Кунун ісламської віри] so they are forced to do so, "said Guradian's spokesman." In general, if you a man must prove it. If they do not kill her, they can not appear in the community of other men. "

The Thailand Migration Service provided further details on the fugitives' story.His head, Surahhat Haparn, shouted that his marriage was another motive for his act:" She escaped from the family to escape marriage and was afraid to have problems returning to Saudi Arabia. "

International Support

The Story of Al-Qunun drew attention to the fact that the Thai authorities initially announced their intention to return the girl to Kuwait, her family, and Happin, head of the Thai Migration Service, described the incident as a "family problem" and said that his country had already discussed it with the Saudi Arabian Embassy.

Many Western diplomats and human rights defenders opposed the forced eviction of Muslims. Al Qunun and called the Thai authorities his to issue him a temporary residence permit.

"She fears to fear for her family, including a father senior government official [в Саудівській Аравії]," said The Guradian Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asian representation of the organization's advocacy organization. Human Rights Watch, who was allowed to meet a girl. on many occasions, when Saudi Arabia has turned a blind eye to "crimes of honor", its fears of being killed must not be dismissed. "

Many Western diplomats and human rights defenders opposed the forced expulsion of Al Qunun

In turn, representatives of the United Nations Refugee Agency have ensured Thailand's access to it "to assess its international protection needs." In Australia and the United Kingdom, militant groups began to appeal to the authorities for their by asking them to support his asylum application.

On January 7, Al-Qunun himself was banned from booking an airport in Bangkok, where he had spent the day before, to avoid any expulsion scheduled to Kuwait.

As a result, the Thai authorities have reconsidered their decision and allowed the girl of 18 years to temporarily stay in the country until & # 39; to have his case reviewed by the & # 39; United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). For its part, the Australian government has declared itself ready to consider Al-Kunun's asylum application as soon as UNHCR has issued its opinion on his case – and invited the United Nations office to do so as soon as possible, reports Reuters.

Reaction of the family and the position of Riyadh

From January 8, the girl having surrendered her passport, she looks forward to the evolution of her case on the part of the l & # 39; United Nations Refugee Agency, Thai authorities and other countries.

However, according to Reuters, human rights defenders are concerned about the measures taken by the Saudi authorities or Rodina al-Qunun.

On Tuesday, January 8, his father and brother arrived in Thailand. "The father is here in Thailand and it's a source of worry," Robertson told Human Rights Watch.

"We have no idea what he's going to do … Will he try to locate his location and look for it?" Or will he try to do it by l & # 39; 39, intermediate of the Embassy [Саудівської Аравії в Таїланді]? " – Robertson note.

The relatives of the runaways have not yet commented on the incident and Saudi diplomats have broken away from the political pressure in this area.

The Royal Thai Embassy said that it did not require the extradition of Al Qunun. "The embassy considers the incident as a family case," according to a statement from the Thai diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, more and more Westerners express their support for the girl. Georg Schmidt, Ambassador of Germany to Thailand, wrote on Twitter: "We share the deep concern over the case of Rafa Mohammed al-Qunun and negotiate with the Thai side, as well as with the embassies of the countries. to which it applies [із проханням притулку] ".