Canada will grant asylum to Saudi woman fleeing alleged abuse: Trudeau | CBC News (2024)

for CBC News

· Posted: Jan 11, 2019 5:43 AM EST | Last Updated: January 11, 2019

Canada will grant asylum to a Saudiwoman who fled alleged abuse from her familyand has spent nearly a week barricaded in a Bangkok hotel room, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The prime minister was asked about whether Canada would acceptRahafMohammedal-Qunun, 18, as a refugeeduring a media availability in Regina on Friday.

"The [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] has made a request of Canada that we accept Ms. al-Qununas a refugee and we have accepted the UN's request that we grant her asylum,"he told reporters.

The young woman's story made international headlines aftershe wasstopped at a Bangkok airport on Saturday by Thai immigration police, denied entry and had her passport seized.

She then barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and launched a social media campaign on Twitter, which drew enough supportto convince Thai officials to admit her temporarily under the protection of UNofficials.

The UNHCR eventually granted her refugee status on Wednesday and several countries, including Canada and Australia, had been in talks with the United Nations refugee agency to accept her.

Thailand's immigration chief told reporters earlier on Friday thatshe's already on her way to Toronto.

"Canada has granted her asylum," SurachateHakparktold Reuters. "She'll leave tonight at 11:15 p.m.," which is 11:15a.m. ET.

The UN agency thankedboth governments for their quick responseand specifically thanked Canada for accepting al-Qunun and arranging her travel.

"Refugee protection today is often under threat and cannot always be assured, but in this instance international refugee law and overriding values of humanity have prevailed," UN High Commissioner for RefugeesFilippoGrandisaid in a statement.

The statement saidthe "fast-track" mechanism that allowed for al-Qunun to come to Canada so quickly"is available only to a fraction of the world's 25.4 million refugees, typically those at greatest risk, such as women at risk."

Activists say similar cases go unreported

Al-Qunun's case has highlighted the cause of women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Several female Saudis fleeing abuse by their families have been caught trying to seek asylum abroad in recent years and returned home. Human rights activists say many similar cases have gone unreported.

When asked if bringingal-Qununto Canada could further inflame tensions with Saudi Arabia, Trudeau would only say Canada is standing up for human rights.

"This is part of a long tradition of Canada engaging constructively in the world and working with our partners, allies and the United Nations. When the United Nations made a request that we grant Ms. al-Qunun asylum we accepted."

Canada's former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dennis Horak, who was the one expelled this summer during the tweet firestorm, told CBC News that the Saudi government won't be thrilled with this news.

"Some in Saudi Arabia will say it is interference in a family matter," he said. "It is not going to help the Canada-Saudi relationship but it is absolutely the right thing to do."

Sophie McNeill, a reporter with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who has had exclusive access to al-Qunun​, said Friday that al-Qunun shut down her Twitter account, but is"safe and fine."

"She's just been receiving a lot of death threats," McNeill wrote, adding that al-Qunun​would be back on Twitter after a "short break."

Al-Qunun​had previously said on Twitter that she wishedto seek refuge in Australia.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne met with senior Thai officials in Bangkok on Thursday. She later told reporters that Australia was assessing Al-Qunun​'srequest for resettlement.

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