Rahaf Mohammed

Rahaf Mohammed is a Saudi woman who was detained by Thai authorities on 5 January 2019 while transiting through Bangkok airport, en route from Kuwait to Australia. She had intended to claim asylum in Australia and escape her family who she says abused her and threatened to kill her for amongst other reasons leaving Islam, an act that is also a capital offence under Saudi law. After appealing for help on the social media service Twitter and thus gaining significant worldwide attention, Thai authorities abandoned their plans to forcibly return her to Kuwait, and she was taken under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and granted refugee status. On 11 January, 2019 she was granted asylum in Canada and arrived in Toronto the next day.