A British judge says a woman who claims to have been effectively imprisoned by her father in Saudi Arabia must be allowed to return to the UK—though he said there's "little or nothing" the High Court can do to ensure that happens. A judge on Wednesday ruled that Amina Al-Jeffrey, who has dual British and Saudi Arabian citizenship, has been "deprived of her liberty" and that her father "must permit and facilitate" her return, including paying for her airfare, reports the BBC. However, "the courts in Saudi Arabia would not even recognize the basis of the claim, because it does not recognize dual nationality," he said. A lawyer for Al-Jeffrey says she's "delighted" by the ruling and expects Mohammed Al-Jeffery to abide by it, though it isn't clear if he'll do so.
He has admitted to locking his daughter in their home and putting bars over the windows, reports ITV News, but he denies Amina's other claims, including that he hit her head against a wall, shaved her head, and refused her access to a toilet at times. He has said he took her from Britain to Jeddah in 2012 to "save her life" because she was using drugs and seeing older men. Her mother and siblings currently live in the UK. The judge called the case "sad" and even acknowledged that Amina might be being "manipulative," but said, "To do nothing at all would, in my view, be dereliction towards Amina," per the Telegraph. He added that she could be accurately described as "caged," even if she's not in a literal cage. (More Saudi Arabia stories.)
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