Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun

Rahaf Mohammed Mutlaq al-Qunun (; born 11 March 2000) is a Saudi woman who was detained by Thai authorities on 6 January 2019 whilst transiting through Bangkok airport, en route from Kuwait to Australia. She was attempting to flee her family and seek asylum in Australia because she says they subjected her to physical and psychological abuse, and is concerned that she could face execution if deported back to her native Saudi Arabia. As of 7 January, she is under protection of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Thailand,
Detention
Al-Qunun, who says her family subjected her to physical and psychological abuse, A visa had been issued to her that permitted entry into Australia In one tweet, she shared a picture of her passport. While barricaded al-Qunun also allowed a friend to tweet on her behalf.
Lawyers in Thailand filed an injunction to prevent her forced deportation. The injunction was subsequently dismissed.
She subsequently left the airport in the care of the agency.
Initial discrepancies in Thai government's accounts of events
According to an initial assessment on Saturday, 5 January 2019 by Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson, it seemed "That the Thai government... (was then) manufacturing a story that she tried to apply for a visa and it was denied... in fact, she had an onward ticket to go to Australia, she didn't want to enter Thailand in the first place." Subsequently, she was placed under the care of the UNHCR, her passport, which had indeed included a valid Australian tourist visa, was returned to her, and formal arrangements for the establishment of her long-term asylum status had begun.

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