An 18-year-old Saudi woman being detained in Bangkok having fled from her family after renouncing Islam fears she will be killed if she is repatriated, according to a close friend who said the threats to her life are real.
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun has barricaded herself in her hotel room for fear that Thai immigration officials, who have gathered outside her door, would force her on to a plane to leave the country. Thai immigration officials have confirmed she has been denied entry to the country.
The Guardian has confirmed Qunun had a three-month multiple-entry tourist visa for Australia, where she said she was intending to seek asylum.
Qunun maintains she will be killed if she is returned to Saudi Arabia and has said she will not leave until she can see the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch’s Asia deputy director. [The Guardian] Read more
