Rita Detweiler, Senior
According to NBC News, Rahaf Mohammed Alqunan is currently barricading herself in an airport hotel in the Thai capital. Sending out a plea for help through social media, Alqunan says she is fleeing abuse by her family including beatings and death threats from male relatives. The Saudi teen is hoping for asylum in Australia and has been appealing for aid from the United Nations refugee agency. At her arrival at the Thailand airport, Alqunan says she was tricked and her passport was taken away when she arrived in Bangkok.
In response, she has gathered tens of thousands of followers on Twitter in a day, asking her supporters for help and awareness, as she resides in an airport hotel. The 18-year-old was told by officials that she would return to Kuwait where her father and brother are awaiting her. Fortunately for Alqunan, she managed to win a small victory when the flight to Kuwait departed without her. More information is yet to come in regards to Alqunan’s situation. The deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, said, "The key thing is she should not be sent back to Saudi Arabia, she should not be sent back into harm's way."
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