Australia said Tuesday it will “carefully consider” the asylum claim of an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled alleged abuse from her family and is now in the care of the UN in Bangkok, after she fended off deportation in a gripping, live-tweeted ordeal. Qunun said she planned to seek asylum in Australia, fearing she would be killed if repatriated by Thai immigration officials who stopped her at the airport. Saudi Arabia’s human rights record has been under heavy scrutiny since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. The immigration police released photos of Surachate and his team sitting down with Saudi embassy charge d’affaires Abdalelah Mohammed Alsheaiby. A Change.org petition to grant Qunun asylum in Britain has so far garnered more than 80,000 signatures.

Source: Egypt Independent January 08, 2019 12:11 UTC