Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (2024)

A Saudi woman who fled her family and became stranded at Bangkok's main airport is flying to Canada after being granted asylum status.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, had been trying to reach Australia via Bangkok, but was initially told to return to Kuwait, where her family were waiting.

She refused to fly back and barricaded herself into her airport hotel room, attracting international attention.

She said she had renounced Islam, which is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

The UN's refugee agency has said it considers her to be a legitimate refugee.

Refugee status is normally granted by governments, but the UNHCR can grant it where states are "unable or unwilling to do so", according to its website.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters: "Canada has been unequivocal that we will always stand up for human rights and women's rights around the world. When the UN made a request of us that we grant Ms al-Qunun asylum, we accepted."

Canada has previously angered Saudi Arabia after calling for the release of detained women's rights activists in the country - prompting Riyadh to expel Canada's ambassador and freeze all new trade.

The UNHCR has welcomed Canada's decision to resettle Ms Qunun.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: "[Her] plight has captured the world's attention over the past few days, providing a glimpse into the precarious situation of millions of refugees worldwide.

"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."

What happened to Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun?

She was on a trip to Kuwait with her family, when she fled on a flight to Bangkok.

She said she intended to take a connecting flight to Australia - and had an Australian visa - but that her passport was seized by a Saudi diplomat when he met her coming off the flight at Suvarnabhumi airport, leaving her stranded.

A Saudi envoy in Bangkok denied any official Saudi involvement in Ms Qunun's detention.

Thai officials initially described her case as a "family problem" and said she would be repatriated back to Kuwait the next day.

However, Ms Qunun sent a series of tweets pleading for help from her airport hotel room, and her case was picked up by Human Rights Watch and journalists.

A number of countries, including Australia, have considered her case for asylum.

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'Threats to her life'

Analysis by Jonathan Head, BBC south east Asia correspondent

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After days of speculation that she would move to Australia, Rahaf al-Qunun found herself on a flight in the opposite direction, to Canada. She was seen briefly, being escorted to the departure gate by UN officials.

As her plane took off Police General Surachate Hakparn, the immigration chief whose change of heart on Monday allowed her temporary asylum in Thailand, told journalists she had left the country cheerful and grateful to those who looked after her here.

Her father and brother, he said, who had come on what turned out to be a futile visit to try to persuade her to return to Saudi Arabia with them, would be leaving Thailand shortly after her.

It is only two days since the Australian government announced that it had been approached to take Ms Qunun, and that it would treat her request sympathetically. The UN usually approaches only one country at a time to seek asylum.

It is not clear why the Australian option fell through, and the UN switched to Canada. It might be that Australia's tough line towards refugees, and the insistence of its Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton that she would get no special treatment, threatened to slow down the processing of her application.

The UN was concerned about her safety, following online threats to her life, and Canada may have been able to process her resettlement more quickly.

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Why did she flee?

Renunciation of Islam is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

Under Saudi Arabia's "male guardianship system", a Saudi woman is required to obtain a male relative's approval to apply for a passport, travel outside the country, study abroad on a government scholarship, get married, leave prison, or even exit a shelter for abuse victims.

Ms Qunun told the BBC: "I shared my story and my pictures on social media and my father is so angry because I did this... I can't study and work in my country, so I want to be free and study and work as I want."

She also said she was afraid her family would kill her.

Separately, she told AFP she had suffered physical and psychological abuse from her family, including being locked in her room for six months for cutting her hair.

A spokesperson for her family told the BBC that they did not wish to comment and all they cared about was the young woman's safety.

On Friday, Ms Qunun wrote on Twitter that she had "some good news and some bad news", before deleting her account. Her friends said she had received death threats online.

Has anything like this happened before?

Yes. Ms Qunun's case echoes that of another Saudi woman who was in transit to Australia in April 2017.

Dina Ali Lasloom, 24, was en route from Kuwait via the Philippines but was taken back to Saudi Arabia from Manila airport by her family.

She used a Canadian tourist's phone to send a message, a video of which was posted to Twitter, saying her family would kill her. Her fate on arriving back in Saudi Arabia remains unknown.

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'Rahaf is an inspiration'

'Sara', a Saudi woman, spoke to BBC OS on the World Service on Wednesday

Rahaf is an inspiration. But she's not the first one who did this and definitely not the last one.

What we are going through is awful. We think about this every day because us women here do not know what it feels like to go out. We don't know what freedom tastes like.

Dad keeps my passport with him all the time, we go to hotels and he puts it next to him when he sleeps.

Unfortunately it's not a revolution. Every girl that is tweeting about this, it's either that she has already escaped or she's using a fake account like me. Some people tweeted me or DMed me to tell me to use my real account, for me to be brave.

We do not want the guardianship any more. I want to go out of the house and drink coffee from Starbucks. I don't have to take my whole family. This is just way too harsh on us.

Living this life is exhausting.

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Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada (2024)

FAQs

Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada? ›

Canada will grant asylum to an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand to escape her allegedly abusive family, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Rahaf Al-Qunun will head to Toronto, with a stopover in Seoul, said Thailand's Immigration Police Chief Surachate Hakparn.

What happened to Rahaf al Qunun? ›

An 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family at the weekend has left Bangkok airport "under the care" of the UN refugee agency, the head of Thailand's immigration police says.

Why did Rahaf Mohammed escape? ›

She had intended to claim asylum in Australia and escape her family who she says abused her and threatened to kill her for, among other reasons, leaving Islam, an act that is a capital offence under Saudi law.

How is asylum granted in Canada? ›

The In-Canada Asylum Program

People arriving at a Canadian point of entry or already in Canada can apply for refugee protection by making a refugee claim to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). The IRB is an independent administrative tribunal that decides if the claimant qualifies for refugee protection.

Who is the Saudi girl getting asylum in Canada? ›

A Saudi woman who fled her family and became stranded at Bangkok's main airport is flying to Canada after being granted asylum status. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, had been trying to reach Australia via Bangkok, but was initially told to return to Kuwait, where her family were waiting.

Who was the Saudi girl who ran away to Canada? ›

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun smiled broadly as she exited an airport arrival door sporting a Canada zipper hoodie and a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees hat, capping a dramatic week that saw her flee her family while visiting Kuwait and before flying to Bangkok.

Who is the woman locked up in Saudi Arabia? ›

Two human rights groups have condemned an 11-year prison sentence handed to a Saudi fitness instructor and women's rights activist by a terrorism court.

What happened to the Saudi sisters? ›

Investigators believe they died in early May and the autopsies reportedly found toxins in their body that pointed to suicide, a police source speculated to Sky News. The case is now with the NSW Coroner. (NSW Police declined to comment to marie claire.)

How long do asylum cases take in Canada? ›

Projected wait times are approximately 24 months for refugee claims and 12 months for refugee appeals.

What is the next step after asylum granted in Canada? ›

After your refugee hearing, the IRB approves or rejects your refugee claim. If the IRB accepts your claim, you get “protected person” status. This means you can stay in Canada, and you can apply to become a permanent resident of Canada. If the IRB rejects your claim, you'll have to leave Canada.

Can I visit my home country after asylum in Canada? ›

However, Canadian government has the right to remove someone's refugee status if it believes that the person accepted the protection of their home country (known as “re-availment”) after obtaining refugee status in Canada. This could happen if a person: Travels to their home country (even for a short visit)

Is Canada still accepting immigrants in 2024? ›

One of our goals at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is to make sure that immigration plays a role in helping to shape the Canada of today and tomorrow. Overall, the Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 has permanent resident admissions targets of 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.

How to win asylum in Canada? ›

You can make a claim for refugee protection at any port of entry when you arrive in Canada. This means an airport, seaport or land border. A Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer will ask you to complete the required application forms when you arrive. Normally, you'll complete the forms at the port of entry.

What country gives Canada the most immigrants? ›

India, China, and Afghanistan were the top three source countries for new Canadian permanent residents in 2022, with India remaining the leading source of immigration for Canada, and China coming in second.

What happened to the Saudi journalist? ›

On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident journalist, was killed by agents of the Saudi government at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was ambushed and strangled by a 15-member squad of Saudi operatives. His body was dismembered and disposed of in some way that was never publicly revealed.

What happened to Saudi Arabia player Yaseer? ›

April 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia defender Yasser Al-Shahrani returned to training with his club Al-Hilal on Thursday, 133 days after suffering a serious injury during their stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

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