Two sisters from Saudi Arabia, Reem (aged 20) and Rawan (aged 18) (not their real names) arrived in Hong Kong on 6 September 2018. They arrived from Sri Lanka, where they had been on holiday with their family. They arrived in Hong Kong on SriLankan Airlines with a connecting Cathay Pacific flight to Australia to depart Hong Kong the same day. They were given boarding passes for their fights all the way through to Australia.

Upon their immediate arrival in Hong Kong, Reem and Rawan were approached by two males, now known to be the staff of the Ground Handling Agent of SriLankan Airlines and Station Manager of SriLankan Airlines. Neither identified themselves to the sisters. Believing the men were assisting them, the sisters followed the men through a security checkpoint. The airline has since confirmed that the men were acting ‘solely at the request of the Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Hong Kong’.

Rather than taking the sisters to the gate for their onward flight, the men took them to the Emirates’ Airline information desk (still within the restricted area of Hong Kong International Airport). Once there, the men collected two Emirates boarding passes and told the sisters to wait. A middle-aged male who did not identify himself, but who the sisters later learned was the Saudi Arabian Consul General in Hong Kong, approached and called the sisters by their names without them having given their names to him. He attempted to deceive the sisters into boarding a pending flight to Saudi Arabia (via Dubai) by saying that they had to go to Dubai or Riyadh to get their visas stamped before they could go to Australia.

The men held the sisters’ passports, and the sisters decided to try to get them back and escape, believing they were about to be forcibly abducted.

Rawan attempted to retrieve her passport from a table top. A staff member from the ground handling agent of SriLankan Airlines slapped her hand and took the passport back, this happened in the presence of the Saudi Arabian Consul General. The passports were only returned after the sisters said that they would summon the police.

The Saudi Consul General then said that the sisters’ uncle was on the phone. The caller ID was that of their uncle and described him as being from the Saudi Interior Ministry. The sisters refused to speak with him and fled to the boarding gate for their onward Cathay Pacific flight, but were told that their confirmed reservations had been cancelled and their names were no longer in the booking system.

The sisters then booked seats on the next available flight to Australia on Qantas Airlines and went straight to the boarding gate.

They were issued their boarding passes at the gate and were waiting to board when the staff member of the Ground Handling Agent turned up again and tried to snatch their passports and boarding passes, at which point the sisters spoke loudly in their defence. The western Airport Liaison Officer present at the boarding gate saw the disagreement and approached the sisters. Another man at that point joined the staff member of the Ground Handling Agent and speaking in Arabic, threatened the sisters to the effect that they would be forced to return to Saudi Arabia.

The sisters later learned that this man was the Saudi Vice Consul.

He then spoke to the Airport Liaison Officer and made false accusations against the sisters.

As a result of this the Airport Liaison Officer asked the sisters to speak on the phone with an Australian immigration official in Canberra, following which they were told by the Airport Liaison Officer they could not board the flight.

The sisters left the area but were again approached by the Vice Consul. Scared for their safety, the sisters fled and decided to enter Hong Kong as visitors.

On 7 September 2018, the sisters made a report to Hong Kong police about the events at the airport and their concerns for their safety.

On 9 September 2018 they received a WhatsApp message purporting to be from the police enquiring as to their whereabouts. This was not from the Hong Kong police.

On 10 September 2018 they were subject to a false missing persons report, resulting in the Hong Kong police taking them from their hotel room to a police station where their father, uncle and the Saudi Consul General were waiting.

The sisters refused to see their family or the Consul General and were escorted by police back to their hotel some time later.

On 13 November 2018 Hong Kong Immigration Department informed the sisters that their Saudi passports had been invalidated.

The sister’s presence in Hong Kong is known to and currently being tolerated by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, presently up until 28 February 2019.

Since September 2018, the sisters have changed location 13 times, fearing for their safety.

They cannot go back to Saudi Arabia as they have renounced their belief in Islam and would be considered to be apostate by the Saudi government – something that carries the death penalty.

Reem and Rawan said:

“We fled our home to ensure our safety. We hope that we can be given asylum in a country which recognises women’s rights and treats them as equals. We dream of being in a safe place where we can be normal young women, free from violence and oppression.”

Our lawyer Michael Vidler said:

“These brave, young, intelligent women have been living in fear, in hiding and in legal limbo in Hong Kong, not knowing what their future holds.

They remain hopeful that they can find a third country place-of-safety as soon as possible so that they can lead their lives, free of oppression, contribute to their adoptive country and be able reach their full potential’

#saudisisters #hksaudisisters #saudioppression #humanrights #refuge #saudiexmuslims