A dramatic rise in asylum applications from Gulf countries has been recorded over the past year as thousands flee the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to reports.
According to a report by The Economist, a “quiet exodus” of thousands of Saudis is taking place as the case of dissident Olympian Rahaf al-Qunun made headlines around the world last week.
Al-Qunun ran away while on vacation in Kuwait and boarded a plane to Thailand.
But last Saturday she was stopped at Bangkok Airport by Thai immigration as she tried to connect with a flight to Australia.
She managed to barricade herself in a hotel room at the airport and then embarked on a social media quest via Twitter, telling of her situation and her wish to be given asylum in another country.
The UN asked Canada to grant al-Qunun asylum.
Khashoggi’s murder and the arrests of hundreds of activists at home are forcing many Saudis to rethink going back to the Kingdom, despite promises by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to “modernize the country.”
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
The Saudi government changed its story on the murder, first denying it took place, then suggesting it was accidental and finally referring to it as a rogue operation.
According to the English publication, “Women are escaping a rigid patriarchy. Others flee because of their political activism.”
Figures cited by the Economist paint a grim picture of the worsening oppression in the Kingdom under bin Salman’s reign.
“815 Saudis applied for asylum in 2017, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. But that is a 318 percent increase over 2012.”
The exodus is not limited to the oil-rich Arab kingdom as the UAE is experiencing a similar trend after it stepped up domestic surveillance and rounded up activists.
“Three times as many from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sought asylum in 2016 as in 2012.”
“Political activity was never encouraged in the Gulf, but after 2011 it was ruthlessly punished,” the report states, referring to an increase in the persecution of activists following Arab Spring revolutions.
