INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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The sisters, 18 and 20, say they fear being returned home
Two
young women from Saudi Arabia are appealing for help after revealing they have spent six months in legal limbo in Hong Kong after fleeing
their family.Rawan and Reem (not their real names) say they escaped while on a family holiday in Sri Lanka in September.They had been trying
to get to Australia, but say they were intercepted in Hong Kong.The case comes just weeks after another fleeing teenager was given asylum in
Canada.Rawan and Reem claim Saudi officials attempted to seize their travel documents in Hong Kong's airport
They say they then resisted boarding a flight to Dubai, only to find flights to Melbourne they had booked had been cancelled.Their lawyer,
Michael Vidler, says they have held the status of "tolerated overstayers" in Hong Kong since and were informed in November that their Saudi
passports had been invalidated
Under Saudi law, women have to get a male relative's approval to apply for a passport or travel outside the country.Fears for safety The
women, aged 18 and 20, say they do not want to return home because they fear punishment or even death on their return.Speaking to the
TheIndianSubcontinent's Chinese service, the sisters said they had hatched a plot to flee because they had "no dignity" in their lives in
Saudi Arabia.They allege they were beaten, humiliated and forced to do household chores by their male relatives."My life was just to serve
I was very depressed, didn't see any future," Rawan said
"They don't care about any of my needs or my education - their only focus was to raise me as a good wife."Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage
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The women have spoke to international press and are also using social media to raise awareness
Their lawyer said Thursday 28 February was the deadline of a temporary visa given to them by Hong Kong authorities
They are now waiting to hear if they have been granted an extension request, pending an application to a third country which would serve as
a place of safety.The sisters say they have lived in fear since arriving in Hong Kong, and believe they are still being pursued by the Saudi
consulate and their family."We have moved 13 times to different places: hostels, hotels, shelters, individuals' flats," Rawan says
"We are afraid of going anywhere on our own
It is all about fear."The women told the TheIndianSubcontinent they had renounced their religion and feared for their safety if they were
Under Saudi law, renouncing Islam is punishable by death.Their case bears resemblance to that of Rahaf al-Qunun, 18, who also tried to
escape to Australia earlier this year
She ended up in a stand-off in an airport hotel room in the Thai capital Bangkok, where she appealed for international help
Eventually Ms al-Qunun was granted asylum in Canada.She has since vowed to work for the freedom of other women around the world
Image:Rahaf Mohammed told Canadian media she'll work in support of women's freedom around the worldLike Ms al-Qunun, Reem and Rawan are
also trying to use social media account to draw attention to their case.The @HKsisters6 account has dozens of tweets pleading for help and
On Wednesday, Amnesty International warned that Hong Kong sending the sisters back would place them in "grave danger"."They fled the kingdom
after repeated abuse by male relatives and they are at real risk of serious human rights violations if they are forcibly returned," Kate
Schuetze, Amnesty International's refugee researcher said in a statement.Hopes for a new life "Ultimately the sisters don't want to be in
fear of their family or the Saudi government for the rest of their lives," their lawyer has said of their case
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The sisters say they planned their escape around a family holiday because they
could access their passports
Asked about their hopes for the future, the girls told the TheIndianSubcontinent they hoped to
move to a country with more women's rights and free speech
Reem, 20, had been studying English literature before escaping, and says she wants to go on to write about their lives in Saudi Arabia
"I dream of completing my studies, I am really passionate about my studies," Rawan, 18, says
"I want to study biology and have a PhD in genetics."The sisters said the cases of other women who tried to flee had inspired them
They cited the case of Dina Ali Lasloom, who was forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia from Manila in 2017."We weren't an easy target
We know our rights," Reem said
"They are the ones who did the wrong thing, not us
We just want to survive."Saudi authorities have not yet commented on Rawan and Reem's case publicly.Mr Vidler said on Thursday that Hong
Kong's immigration department had acknowledged their request to continue to stay, but had not commented further.
