Saudi sisters: We want to emigrate to a country that respects women's rights

The two girls have been hiding for six months in Hong Kong and are likely to be returned to Riyadh within a week. The father and the uncle - senior officials of the Saudi government - have reported their disappearance. The Saudi consulate has tried to stop them and bring them back home. The two sisters report abuse by their father and brothers.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Two Saudi sisters, who renounced their Islamic faith, fled their family and launched an appeal: "We have escaped from our family to guarantee our security. We hope to be able to receive asylum in a nation that recognizes women's rights and treats them as equals. We dream of a safe place, where we can be normal girls, free from violence and oppression ".

The two sisters have been hiding for about six months in Hong Kong. Their passports have been invalidated and have a temporary permit that lasts until February 28th. If they do not find a country to host them, they will have to return to Riyadh where - according to the girls - they have often been abused by their father and brothers.

The odyssey of the two sisters began last September when they fled from Colombo (Sri Lanka), where they were on holiday with their family. Arriving in Hong Kong and waiting to take a flight to Melbourne (Australia), they were stopped by some members of the Saudi consulate who canceled their flight to Melbourne and attempted to return them to Riyadh. They also tried to seize the two sisters' passport. The two escaped from the airport, denouncing a kidnapping attempt later.

The father and the uncle of the girls - both senior officials of the Saudi government - have come to Hong Kong to report their disappearance.

The case of the two sisters is very similar to that of Rahaf Mohammed, a young Saudi woman who in January tried to flee to Australia and was detained during transit in Thailand. After several appeals on social media, Rahaf managed to get asylum in Canada. Now her exmaple is being followed.

• hong kong
• saudi arabia
• islam
• religious freedom
• women
• human rights
• refugees
• asylum
• protection
• fundamentalism
• wahhabism