Dina Ali Lasloom facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dina Ali Lasloom
دينا علي السلوم
Last known photo of Dina Ali (left), 10 April 2017, being confronted by her uncles in Manila
Born	29 March 1993 Saudi Arabia
Disappeared	12 April 2017 (aged 24) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Status	Missing for 8 years, 2 months and 14 days
Nationality	Saudi Arabian
Occupation	School teacher
Known for	Attempting to flee Saudi Arabia
Height	5 ft 2 in (157 cm)

Dina Ali Lasloom (Arabic: دينا علي السلوم; born 29 March 1993) is a young woman from Saudi Arabia. In April 2017, she tried to travel to Australia to seek safety and freedom from certain laws in her home country. However, she was stopped during a flight connection in the Philippines and was sent back to Saudi Arabia against her will.

Dina's documents were taken by airport officials in Manila. Her story quickly spread online after she recorded a video with the help of a Canadian tourist. In the video, she said she was afraid for her life if she had to return home. Even though she tried to resist, her uncles took her onto a plane back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 11, 2017.

Dina's case is a rare example of a woman trying to gain more freedom in Saudi Arabia. Experts have said her situation shows how the government and families can work together against women in Saudi Arabia. Her story caused a lot of anger and support from people around the world.

What Happened at Manila Airport?

It's not completely clear what role the Philippines authorities played in Dina's return. The Philippines has signed international agreements that say they should not send anyone back to a place where they might be harmed or treated badly, especially because of their gender. While Dina was waiting for her next flight in the Philippines, she was reportedly held by authorities until male relatives from Saudi Arabia arrived to take her home.

A video shared on Twitter showed Dina's statement before she was returned to Saudi Arabia. In the video, where her face was not shown, she said she believed she would be killed if she went back to her family.

Dina also said in her video that Philippine authorities held her at the Manila airport and took her passport. She was quoted saying, "My name is Dina Ali and I'm a Saudi woman who fled Saudi Arabia to Australia to seek safety. If my family come they will kill me. If I go back to Saudi Arabia I will be dead." This video was shared widely on social media. A Canadian tourist let Dina use her phone and shared what she saw happening.

Another video later appeared, showing Dina arguing with a woman she thought was from the Kuwait Embassy. Dina said, "He is not my father, he is not my father, he is not my father. You are not helping, you don't know him," referring to her uncle. Another person shared a video on YouTube where airport security staff were seen, and Dina could be heard screaming in the background.

Calls from activists to the police at Manila International Airport were not answered on the night of April 11, 2017. However, the airport did confirm Dina's detention to a representative from Amnesty International. It's worth noting that the Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte, began a visit to Saudi Arabia on April 10, the same day Dina tried to fly to Australia.

At first, Filipino officials said they didn't know anything about Dina being held. But later, they confirmed she was detained. They tried to say it was the fault of the Saudi government and the airline. They said that if Dina was just passing through, she wouldn't have gone through immigration, and it would have been up to the airline to decide what happened to her.

Many groups criticized the Filipino government for how they handled the situation. Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth called their response "appalling." The only reason given for stopping Dina's flight to Sydney was that a "very important person" had called and told them to hold her documents, but no more details were given.

Forced Return to Saudi Arabia

Activists in Saudi Arabia said Dina was forced onto a Saudi Arabia Airlines flight from Manila to Riyadh on the night of Tuesday, April 11, 2017. A Saudi activist who got a video from someone who saw it happen reported that Dina was forced onto the plane by her two uncles, who were diplomats, and Filipino police. Human Rights Watch spoke to four people connected to Dina's case, including two who said they had talked to her at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Feminist activist Moudhi Aljohani, who said she spoke to Dina on the phone, was quoted in The Australian newspaper. She said Dina avoided a first attempt to force her onto a plane by "screaming and physically resisting," which got the attention of other passengers. A video of this event was shared on YouTube.

An airline security official told Human Rights Watch that he saw two airline security officials and three men who looked Middle Eastern go into the hotel and to Dina's room. He said he heard her screaming and asking for help from her room. After that, he saw them carry her out. He said she was still trying to break free when they put her in a wheelchair and took her out of the hotel.

A witness quoted in The Australian said she saw a woman being pulled out of a room. This was believed to have been done by her two uncles and someone from the Saudi Embassy. Another woman said, "They weren't Filipino. They looked Arab." A third witness claimed to have seen "A security officer and three middle eastern men doing this." Dina was later forced onto a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight. The pilots and crew of the plane were reportedly aware of and supported Dina being returned to Riyadh against her will.

Even though there were different reports at the time about whether Dina was actually on the flight, passengers on the way to Riyadh started reporting on social media that someone was being held against their will on board. This led the governments of Oman and Qatar to refuse the plane permission to fly through their airspace. While this was only confirmed by private sources, flight records show a sudden change in direction to avoid Oman and Qatar's airspace.

What Happened Next?

Arrival in Riyadh

There was a strong police presence outside King Abdulaziz International Airport the night Dina arrived. Saudi activists reported that she was seen arriving in the country in a wheelchair. Several passengers leaving the airport told Reuters they had seen a woman being carried onto the plane screaming before it took off in Manila, Philippines.

About 10 Saudi activists gathered in the arrivals area of the Riyadh airport around midnight on April 12, 2017. This happened after a hashtag began circulating on social media, encouraging people to "receive Dina at the airport." Two of these activists, Alaa Anazi, a 23-year-old medical student, and a 27-year-old man, were held by police after they approached airport security about Dina's case. Alaa's sister confirmed that airport officials told her Alaa had been sent to a police station in central Riyadh, but she couldn't confirm where her sister was.

A journalist named Vivien Nereim, who was at the airport, said there were no signs of Dina. However, she did confirm that the Saudi Human Rights Commission was looking into the case. She also collected statements from witnesses on the plane who described "a woman being carried on the flight screaming." This suggests that Dina was brought onto the plane against her will, which is against the law in the Philippines, especially in the International zone where Philippine law applies. Two other witnesses said they heard her cry for help, but they couldn't see her condition because she was covered.

This event brought a lot of attention to women's rights in Saudi Arabia and the male guardianship laws. While some social media users tried to help Dina, others called for her to be harmed for going against Saudi society's rules.

Where is Dina Now?

Amid public concern, Dina Lasloom's current location is still unknown. Some sources said she was being held at the Correctional Facility for Women in Riyadh while authorities looked into her case. On April 19, 2017, a Saudi government official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bloomberg that Dina was being held in a special facility for women under 30 as a safety measure and that she didn't face any charges. The official added that authorities were trying to find "appropriate solutions" for her to live a normal life.

Moudhi Aljohani said Dina's uncles hit her and told her they would kill her when they landed in Saudi Arabia. "It is most likely that she is not alive," Aljohani said in an emotional video. She criticized human rights groups for not doing enough to help and urged people not to stay silent. Mohamed al-Maady from the government-led Human Rights Commission in Saudi Arabia said the organization would be working with the Saudi ministry of social development to gather information on the case. No information was available about her physical or mental health. She is at risk of legal punishment for "disobedience" because she tried to escape from her guardian.

Human Rights Watch asked Saudi Arabia to reveal whether Dina is with her family or being held by the state in a shelter. They said that if she is held by the state, authorities should explain why and whether she is there by her own choice. They also asked if she has the freedom to move around and contact people outside.

Global Reaction and Impact

Dina's story led to protests outside Saudi embassies in several countries, especially by the Labour Party in Ireland. The Labour Party also wanted to know if Ireland was among the European UN members who voted for Saudi Arabia to be on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The Irish government refused to say how they voted.

Human Rights Watch also started a campaign, asking social media users to tweet Saudi King Salman using the hashtag #SaveDinaAli, asking for a special pardon for her.

Dina's case continues to be widely covered by the media because of how unusual and legally questionable her return was.

On May 7, 2017, Russia Today aired a whole segment about the event. This report came a day after United States President Donald Trump announced a trip to Saudi Arabia, highlighting stronger economic and political ties with the kingdom, even though there are still big cultural differences. A day earlier, a royal decree (a special order from the king) was passed, allowing women more access to government services.

On May 28, 2017, BBC World Service broadcast a segment telling the story of Dina's attempted escape.

On June 8, 2017, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) held an event during the UN Human Rights Council's 35th session, where Dina's case was discussed.

After the Norwegian Public Broadcaster NRK reported Dina's story, several politicians, including Socialist Left Party Leader Audun Lysbakken and Abid Raja, asked the foreign minister, Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, to discuss the situation of women's rights with Saudi Arabia. "This is an extreme form of gender inequality. I would like to ask, if the Foreign Minister agrees, that Norway raise the matter with Saudi Arabia," said parliamentary representative Jan Bøhler.

On September 6, 2018, two Saudi Arabian sisters, aged 18 and 20, left their guardians while on a family vacation in Sri Lanka. They flew to Hong Kong, hoping to seek safety in Australia. Their case made international news when their deadline for asylum passed in February 2019. They said they were afraid of being sent back to Saudi Arabia, just like Dina Ali Lasloom.

On February 4, 2019, Dina's story and the stories of several other women who fled Saudi Arabia were featured in ABC News Australia's long-running documentary series Four Corners.

See also

• Human rights in Saudi Arabia
• Islamic feminism
• List of people who disappeared
• List of kidnappings