Young Saudi sisters en route to Australia 'stuck in Hong Kong for months'

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/young-saudi-sisters-en-route-to-australia-stuck-in-hong-kong-for-months

Young Saudi sisters en route to Australia 'stuck in Hong Kong for months'
00:00 / 00:00

The sisters fear the death penalty if they return to Saudi Arabia where they fled to escape to Australia.
Updated 1 day ago


Two young Saudi sisters in Hong Kong said Thursday they had been intercepted by kingdom officials at the city's airport while attempting to escape to Australia, in the latest case of women fleeing the ultra-conservative country.

The pair, who have adopted the aliases Reem and Rawan, said in a statement from their lawyer they had renounced Islam and fear the death penalty if forced to return to Saudi Arabia.

The sisters aged 20 and 18, whose representatives say they suffered violent abuse, fled to Hong Kong in September from a family holiday in Sri Lanka and were planning to fly on to Australia...

*******************************************************************
Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/saudi-sisters-stuck-in-hong-kong-more-vulnerable-than-rahaf-expert-warns

Saudi sisters stuck in Hong Kong 'more vulnerable' than Rahaf, expert warns
Two fleeing Saudi sisters who were intercepted in Hong Kong are in a "more vulnerable" position that Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun was in Thailand, a refugee expert says.
Updated Updated 17 hours ago
By Peter Theodosiou
Share

The case of two Saudi sisters intercepted in Hong Kong on their way to Australia is similar in principal but "far more complicated" to that of Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, according to an Amnesty International refugee expert.

The sisters, who have adopted the aliases Reem and Rawan, said in a statement via their lawyer they had renounced Islam and fear the death penalty if forced to return to Saudi Arabia.

The sisters aged 20 and 18, whose representatives say they suffered violent abuse, fled to Hong Kong in September from a family holiday in Sri Lanka and were planning to fly on to Australia.

But they say they were obstructed by Saudi officials and have been living in hiding in the Chinese city for nearly six months since.

 

[Emily]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/06/asia/saudi-sister-hong-kong-visa-intl/index.html

[h=1]Saudi sisters trapped in Hong Kong granted extension to stay as they await next move[/h] By Hilary Whiteman and Sandi Sidhu, CNN

Updated 12:59 AM ET, Thu March 7, 2019 Hong Kong (CNN)Two sisters who fled Saudi Arabia have been granted an extension to stay in Hong Kong for one more month while they seek an emergency visa in a safe country.

Hong Kong's immigration department will now allow the sisters, who go by the names Reem and Rawana, to stay in the city until April 8 after their latest extension expired last Thursday, according to human rights lawyer, Michael Vidler...