Saudi Sisters Leave HK On Humanitarian Visas

Two Saudi sisters, who got stuck in Hong Kong after trying to flee to Australia, have been given humanitarian visas from an unnamed third country, their lawyer Michael Vidler said in a statement on Monday. The women, aged 20 and 18, left Hong Kong late last week to start their new lives in their new home, Vidler said.

Vidler said, to ensure their future security, their location would not be disclosed and further details would not be provided.

The sisters, who used the pseudonyms Reem and Rawan, arrived in Hong Kong en route to Melbourne last September. They said Saudi consulate officials had tried to kidnap them at Hong Kong International Airport and send them back to Saudi Arabia. The sisters said they were fleeing an abusive family.

They reported the actions of the officials to Hong Kong police. But they had their passports cancelled and were stuck in the SAR for several months.

"We are thrilled that our story has a happy ending and that we have found our way to safety to restart our lives free of violence and oppression," Reem and Rawan said. "We want to say loud and clear to the Saudi authorities and other regimes which treat women unequally: never underestimate the strength of brave women."

The women, who say they have renounced Islam, said they feared being killed if they're returned to Saudi Arabia.

Human Rights group Amnesty International welcomed the news.

"It's great news that Reem and Rawan are now in a safer place. They showed immense courage and took huge risks to escape repeated abuse by their male relatives," said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty's Middle East research director.

The case emerged in February, a month after 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun drew global attention with her dramatic escape from an allegedly abusive family. She gained refugee status in Canada.

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