Saudi sisters who fled to Georgia say granted 'new home'

TBILISI: Two Saudi sisters who fled to Georgia saying they feared being killed if they returned home posted on social media Tuesday that they have now obtained Georgian passports and are moving to a third country.

The women, who identified themselves as 28-year-old Maha Alsubaie and 25-year-old Wafa Alsubaie, wrote on Twitter account @GeorgiaSisters2, “we are on our way to start a new life in a new country”.

The sisters, who appealed for help via social media last month, are the latest to flee the Islamic kingdom where they say they feared for their lives.

نحب ان نشكر كل من دعمنا وتعب معانا سواءً في داخل جورجيا او خارجها. منذ هروبنا مرينا بأيام مظلمة. نحن الآن في طريقنا لدولة جديدة لنبدأ حياة جديدة مليئة بالأمل. حُلمنا بالإستقلال تحقق اخيراً. نتمنى الحرية لكل سعودية مقموعة وكل امرأة تقضي احلى سنين عمرها خلف قضبان دور الرعاية. pic.twitter.com/V5eMh7lsjB

— Maha & Wafa al-Subaie ⭐️ مها ووفاء السبيعي (@GeorgiaSisters2) May 7, 2019

“Finally we are going to another country, We have a new home, we have to start our new life,” said Wafa in a video that shows the pair at Tbilisi airport.

They wave Georgian passports and smile broadly in the video, while saying on Twitter that they would not give details of where they are moving to “for a little while”.

We are thrilled to announce that we are leaving Georgia. We are on our way to start a new life in a new country. We want to thank everyone who supported us and was there for us locally and overseas. We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who signed our petition. pic.twitter.com/I5JHl2u12H

— Maha & Wafa al-Subaie ⭐️ مها ووفاء السبيعي (@GeorgiaSisters2) May 7, 2019

The Georgian interior ministry told AFP they could not comment on whether the women had left the country because information about asylum seekers is confidential.

The ministry however confirmed the women were safe as did a Georgian rights NGO that has worked with the women, Article 42 of the Constitution.

Last month, the women pleaded for international protection saying they were “trapped in Georgia” after Saudi authorities cancelled their passports.

“If we go back to Saudi we will be killed,” they said.

Georgian authorities gave them shelter but the women said they did not feel safe to remain in the country because their father and brothers were searching for them there.

More than 40,000 people signed a Change.org petition by the women asking for UN help to gain asylum in a “safe third country”.