Two Saudi sisters appealed for help Wednesday from the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country, in the latest case of runaways from the ultra-conservative kingdom using social media to seek asylum. Using a newly created Twitter account called "GeorgiaSisters," they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25. Like other Saudi women who have fled and turned to social media, they posted copies of their passports to establish their identities. The sisters claim they are in danger and will be killed if they are forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia, the AP reports. They say their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia looking for them. Wafa says they fled "oppression from our family," without elaborating.
The sisters' first post to the Twitter account was Tuesday evening. It read: "We are two Saudi sisters who fled from Saudi Arabia seeking asylum. Yet, the family and the Saudi government have suspended our passports and now we are trapped in Georgia country. We need your help please." In another post, the sisters appear with their faces showing and their hair uncovered—a taboo for conservative families in Saudi Arabia. The post says they are showing their faces in order for the world to "remember us" in case something happens to them. In a later video posted on Twitter, Maha said: "We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights." The UNHCR in Georgia said it does not comment on individual cases, but that it is closely monitoring the situation. (More Saudi Arabia stories.)
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