Ms Alqunun was fleeing Saudi Arabia and feared her relatives would kill her if she was returned to the kingdom. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise announcement on Friday that the North American country would take her in. Ms Alqunun's attempt to flee Saudi Arabia was embraced by rights groups as a beacon of defiance against repression. Thai authorities initially threatened to deport her when she arrived in Bangkok after she fled her family during a trip to Kuwait.
Ms Alqunun used furniture to barricade herself in an airport hotel room to avoid being sent back to live with her relatives. She used her smartphone and Twitter account to force a U-turn from Thai immigration police as her story gained attention around the world.
Ms Alqunun was eventually taken into the care of the UN's refugee agency. She had earlier told Human Rights Watch that she suffered beatings and death threats from male relatives in Saudi Arabia. Her family denies the allegations. The teenager is also said to have renounced Islam, which risks prosecution in the Arab kingdom. Thailand's immigration police chief, Surachate Hakparn, said on Friday that a smiling and cheerful
Ms Alqunun was bound for Toronto and had left on a flight after 11pm (4pm GMT).
— Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد (@rahaf84427714) January 11, 2019
Hey all— Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد (@rahaf84427714) January 11, 2019
Did you ditched me ? 😭 I wanna share the moment of my arrival to Canada 🇨🇦 with you
🇨🇦 — #BREAKING: PM Justin Trudeau confirms Canada has granted asylum to Saudi teen #Rahaf al-Qunun. She is currently en route to #Canada from Thailand and will arrive 11:15 AM ET.@THEBELAAZ #RahafSaved pic.twitter.com/lDRi9KMNFq— BELAAZ (@THEBELAAZ) January 11, 2019
Am happy for her!
ReplyDeleteLucky her! She is on her way to being a Canadian citizen.....
ReplyDelete