Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (2024)

A Saudi woman who fled her family and became stranded at Bangkok's main airport is flying to Canada after being granted asylum status.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, had been trying to reach Australia via Bangkok, but was initially told to return to Kuwait, where her family were waiting.

She refused to fly back and barricaded herself into her airport hotel room, attracting international attention.

She said she had renounced Islam, which is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

The UN's refugee agency has said it considers her to be a legitimate refugee.

Refugee status is normally granted by governments, but the UNHCR can grant it where states are "unable or unwilling to do so", according to its website.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters: "Canada has been unequivocal that we will always stand up for human rights and women's rights around the world. When the UN made a request of us that we grant Ms al-Qunun asylum, we accepted."

Canada has previously angered Saudi Arabia after calling for the release of detained women's rights activists in the country - prompting Riyadh to expel Canada's ambassador and freeze all new trade.

The UNHCR has welcomed Canada's decision to resettle Ms Qunun.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: "[Her] plight has captured the world's attention over the past few days, providing a glimpse into the precarious situation of millions of refugees worldwide.

"Refugee protection today is often under threat and cannot always be assured, but in this instance international refugee law and overriding values of humanity have prevailed."

What happened to Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun?

She was on a trip to Kuwait with her family, when she fled on a flight to Bangkok.

She said she intended to take a connecting flight to Australia - and had an Australian visa - but that her passport was seized by a Saudi diplomat when he met her coming off the flight at Suvarnabhumi airport, leaving her stranded.

A Saudi envoy in Bangkok denied any official Saudi involvement in Ms Qunun's detention.

Thai officials initially described her case as a "family problem" and said she would be repatriated back to Kuwait the next day.

However, Ms Qunun sent a series of tweets pleading for help from her airport hotel room, and her case was picked up by Human Rights Watch and journalists.

A number of countries, including Australia, have considered her case for asylum.

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (1)Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (2)

'Threats to her life'

Analysis by Jonathan Head, BBC south east Asia correspondent

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (3)Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (4)UNHCR

After days of speculation that she would move to Australia, Rahaf al-Qunun found herself on a flight in the opposite direction, to Canada. She was seen briefly, being escorted to the departure gate by UN officials.

As her plane took off Police General Surachate Hakparn, the immigration chief whose change of heart on Monday allowed her temporary asylum in Thailand, told journalists she had left the country cheerful and grateful to those who looked after her here.

Her father and brother, he said, who had come on what turned out to be a futile visit to try to persuade her to return to Saudi Arabia with them, would be leaving Thailand shortly after her.

It is only two days since the Australian government announced that it had been approached to take Ms Qunun, and that it would treat her request sympathetically. The UN usually approaches only one country at a time to seek asylum.

It is not clear why the Australian option fell through, and the UN switched to Canada. It might be that Australia's tough line towards refugees, and the insistence of its Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton that she would get no special treatment, threatened to slow down the processing of her application.

The UN was concerned about her safety, following online threats to her life, and Canada may have been able to process her resettlement more quickly.

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (5)Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (6)

Why did she flee?

Renunciation of Islam is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

Under Saudi Arabia's "male guardianship system", a Saudi woman is required to obtain a male relative's approval to apply for a passport, travel outside the country, study abroad on a government scholarship, get married, leave prison, or even exit a shelter for abuse victims.

Ms Qunun told the BBC: "I shared my story and my pictures on social media and my father is so angry because I did this... I can't study and work in my country, so I want to be free and study and work as I want."

She also said she was afraid her family would kill her.

Separately, she told AFP she had suffered physical and psychological abuse from her family, including being locked in her room for six months for cutting her hair.

A spokesperson for her family told the BBC that they did not wish to comment and all they cared about was the young woman's safety.

On Friday, Ms Qunun wrote on Twitter that she had "some good news and some bad news", before deleting her account. Her friends said she had received death threats online.

Has anything like this happened before?

Yes. Ms Qunun's case echoes that of another Saudi woman who was in transit to Australia in April 2017.

Dina Ali Lasloom, 24, was en route from Kuwait via the Philippines but was taken back to Saudi Arabia from Manila airport by her family.

She used a Canadian tourist's phone to send a message, a video of which was posted to Twitter, saying her family would kill her. Her fate on arriving back in Saudi Arabia remains unknown.

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by

Twitter

. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read

and

before accepting. To view this content choose

‘accept and continue’.

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (7)Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (8)

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (9)Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (10)

'Rahaf is an inspiration'

'Sara', a Saudi woman, spoke to BBC OS on the World Service on Wednesday

Rahaf is an inspiration. But she's not the first one who did this and definitely not the last one.

What we are going through is awful. We think about this every day because us women here do not know what it feels like to go out. We don't know what freedom tastes like.

Dad keeps my passport with him all the time, we go to hotels and he puts it next to him when he sleeps.

Unfortunately it's not a revolution. Every girl that is tweeting about this, it's either that she has already escaped or she's using a fake account like me. Some people tweeted me or DMed me to tell me to use my real account, for me to be brave.

We do not want the guardianship any more. I want to go out of the house and drink coffee from Starbucks. I don't have to take my whole family. This is just way too harsh on us.

Living this life is exhausting.

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (11)Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (12)

Saudi woman in Thailand pleads for asylum
Why Saudi Arabia matters to the West
Saudi Arabia 'tortured women activists'
Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Rahaf al Qunun? ›

An 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family at the weekend has left Bangkok airport "under the care" of the UN refugee agency, the head of Thailand's immigration police says.

Where does Rahaf Mohammed live now? ›

On 11 January 2019 she was granted asylum in Canada and arrived in Toronto the next day.

Where do most asylum seekers in Canada come from? ›

Leading origin countries of persons claiming refugee status in Canada in 2022
CharacteristicNumber of refugee claimants
Haiti11,430
Turkey9,370
Colombia7,900
Iran4,725
6 more rows
May 16, 2024

Does Saudi Arabia offer asylum? ›

As noted, Saudi Arabia does not have a domestic law governing the status determination or registration of refugees, or otherwise providing for them. Both the 1952 Residence Regulations Law and the 1992 Basic Law of Governance allows for foreigners to seek asylum in Saudi Arabia.

Who is the Saudi Arabian girl asylum in Canada? ›

A Saudi woman who fled her family and became stranded at Bangkok's main airport is flying to Canada after being granted asylum status. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, had been trying to reach Australia via Bangkok, but was initially told to return to Kuwait, where her family were waiting.

What happened to the Saudi journalist? ›

On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident journalist, was killed by agents of the Saudi government at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was ambushed and strangled by a 15-member squad of Saudi operatives. His body was dismembered and disposed of in some way that was never publicly revealed.

Who are the top asylum seekers in Canada? ›

Canada alone opened the door to almost a third or nearly 51,100 of those refugees, including 16,600 from Afghanistan, 9,200 from Eritrea, 8,400 from Syria and 4,300 from Somalia. “Refugees — and the communities hosting them — need solidarity and a helping hand,” said Grandi.

How long does asylum take in Canada? ›

Projected wait times are approximately 24 months for refugee claims and 12 months for refugee appeals.

What nationality are most asylum seekers? ›

Between 2004 to 2021, around three-quarters of applicants refused asylum at initial decision lodged an appeal and almost one third of those appeals were allowed. In 2023, the most common origin region of asylum seekers was Asia and the most common single nationality was Afghan.

Which country is best for asylum? ›

  • 7 Industrialized Countries to Safely Seek Asylum. When you need asylum, you need to get somewhere safe as quickly as possible. ...
  • Netherlands. Not only is this country widely regarded as one of the best in the world to call home, it is also very welcoming to asylum-seekers. ...
  • Ireland. ...
  • Norway. ...
  • Sweden. ...
  • Austria. ...
  • Canada. ...
  • United States.

Why does Saudi Arabia not take refugees? ›

While acknowledging that the right to seek asylum was itself acceptable, Saudi Arabia argued against formulating a right that could be seen as subverting State sovereignty. According to Piscatori, Saudi Arabia's position stemmed from a concern that it might be obligated to accept refugees hostile to the regime.

Does Dubai offer asylum? ›

The UAE does not have an asylum system but generally respects the principle of non-refoulement.

Who was the Saudi girl that ran away? ›

In early 2019, an 18-year-old Saudi woman, Rahaf Mohammed, snuck out of her family hotel room in Kuwait and bought a plane ticket to Bangkok, beginning the most extraordinary journey of her young life. The welcome she received, however, met her deepest fears.

What happened to Saudi Arabia player Yaseer? ›

April 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia defender Yasser Al-Shahrani returned to training with his club Al-Hilal on Thursday, 133 days after suffering a serious injury during their stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

What did Aziza Al Yousef do? ›

She is a prominent women's rights activist who has been working on women's rights in Saudi Arabia for over two decades. She has repeatedly participated in defying the driving ban and has been harassed and interrogated for her human rights work.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Carey Rath

Last Updated:

Views: 6343

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Carey Rath

Birthday: 1997-03-06

Address: 14955 Ledner Trail, East Rodrickfort, NE 85127-8369

Phone: +18682428114917

Job: National Technology Representative

Hobby: Sand art, Drama, Web surfing, Cycling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Leather crafting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.