Save The Four Princesses

Four Princesses are being kept under house arrest in the palace outbuildings at Jeddah for 13 years. They are daughters of The Saudi King Abdulla. They've been held captive by their father and their half-brothers Minister of the Saudi National Guard Mitab and Deputy Foreign Minister AbdulAziz. Princess Sahar, the eldest of the sisters, is 42 years old. Their mother complains: “ They have been robbed of their right to study, to work, to start a family, to travel and visit me. They have been deliberately denied medical attention; and the opportunity-- provided to all the King's sons and daughters-- to seek medical help anywhere in the world in any medical center they choose. They have been abused and tortured, and placed under 24/7 surveillance.”  

 They had spoken to their father King Abdullah about the prevalent poverty, injustice and disrespect for human rights including those shown to women in the Saudi Kingdom. Their mother Alanoud Alfayez (57) was divorced in 1980. She is a Jordanian national. She fled from Arabia in 2001 and now lives in London. It is believed that the monarch (89 year old now) was angry at her for not giving him a male offspring. 

 Sahar and Jawaher  (38)  living together are separated from their two other sisters Maha and Hala . Until March 2014, they were permitted to go out once every two months under guard for shopping. But since mid-March 2014, as a consequence of their having complained to the foreign press of their situation, they are denied permission to go out at all. It is forbidden to bring them food or drink. Their supplies diminish; they are reduced to eating expired products and are on one meal a day. To drink, they distill sea water but that too is not enough for both of them, their two dogs and cat. Their health is deteriorating, but they have no access to medical assistance or any medication. If the situation continues, their fate is slow death.

Sahar said in an interview: “We were prevented from going out to buy food and water on March 17th, our heavily guarded bimonthly outing. They prohibited home delivery as well; the person trying to deliver food and water was threatened to be jailed should he attempt to return. Food will soon run out. We are on one meal a day, surviving on some expired food and distilled seawater.

My sister Jawaher suffers from asthma and is denied her medication. I cannot watch her health deteriorating. She needs medical help, in fact we all do. We suffer excruciating headaches and backaches. We have been calling on the Red Cross and they are trying to communicate with the Red Crescent, but seems that they are under Saudi control, so we haven’t received a reply yet. We have the right to choose where to seek medical help. We will never seek the help of the Royal Clinic since they have played a big role in our abuse, nor will we ever ask our captors for food and water since they have been drugging it. We also need to save our pets, our two dogs Gala and Gracia as well as Jade the cat. The situation is getting worse, while Saudis continue their crimes with impunity.”

 Their mother's words again:

"Years have gone by, and my four daughters, Sahar, Maha, Hala, & Jawaher are still held against their will, confined in heavily guarded villas, suffering psychological and physical abuse with no hope for salvation. They've been held captive in Saudi Arabia for more than 12 years by their father King Abdullah and their half-brothers Minister of the Saudi National Guard Mitab and Deputy Foreign Minister AbdulAziz, while all their half-sisters and half- brothers enjoy their rights and unfettered freedom. The anguish of a mother having to hear her own children suffering in agony day after day, without being able to be with them nor ease their suffering is far too great to bear. What crimes have my daughters committed to deserve torture and abuse? Does anyone deserve to live under such horrid circumstances? They have been robbed of their right to study, to work, to start a family, to travel and visit me. They have been deliberately denied medical attention; and the opportunity-- provided to all the King's sons and daughters-- to seek medical help anywhere in the world in any medical center they choose. They have been abused and tortured, and placed under 24/7 surveillance. Why are their half-sisters and female cousins allowed the freedom to lead their lives as they please without constraint, while many have chosen to reside in the West, without facing so much as an outcry from the family? Why are my daughters being discriminated against? Is it because they have no full brother to fend for them in a patriarchal society that is often described as misogynist. My daughters seek their dignity, freedom and human rights, and that of all women in their country.

My daughters deserve to be free to pursue their life. They deserve to continue their studies, earn a degree and continue higher education, and apply to the jobs that fulfill their dreams. They deserve to start a family, marry and have children. They deserve to be free to travel and visit me, their mother, whenever they wish. It is unacceptable to allow Saudi Arabia to continue abusing human rights, violating all conventions it had signed with the UN without being held to account. It is no longer acceptable for the free world, which claims to advocate human rights, to continue supporting countries that violate these. Saudi Arabia has one of the worst records in violating women's rights in particular. Many women endure the abuse of male guardians, while countless women and children suffer silently, very few have had the chance to speak out about their traumatic experience let alone escape from it. The situation is spiraling out of control and it is no longer tolerable for the world, especially the United Nations not to intervene and put a stop to these barbaric practices, which are unlawful, and un-Islamic. Despite Saudi Arabia's claims it is not within Sharia to condone the abuse of women under any pretext. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has ratified CEDAW and other conventions against torture and should be held to account when it does not abide."  

We would like to remind the freedom loving  world that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a part of the Human Rights body of UN. It sits on the United Nations Human Rights Council ! The appeals of  Alanoud Alfayez have fallen on deaf ears. !!

We beg to all functionaries and heads of nations as well as UN officials and ambassadors to urgently take note of the pathetic situation and urge all human rights activists to do everything possible to force the king of Saudi Arabia to release his daughters! We would like to remind all lovers of Democracy that they have a duty to oblige the Government of Saudi Arabia to comply with international conventions it has ratified! 

                                                

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