Sources have told ALQST that Shaimaa al-Baqmi, a 24-year-old Saudi woman, has been missing since April as a result – people close to her believe – of her family filing a malicious complaint against her, after she ran away from the family home to live independently in accommodation of her own.

Al-Baqmi, born on 26 December 1997, was last heard from in April 2022 while on her way to work. She did not arrive at work that day, and there has been no contact from her since.

Al-Baqmi had been a victim of domestic violence, including threats to kill her, which was one of the main reasons for her leaving home. Her father had been beating her for a long time, and even bought a gun to threaten her with or use to kill her, and she was also beaten by her brothers and uncles.

Although the authorities boast of recent reforms in favour of women, the country’s oppressive male guardianship system is still far from being dismantled, and women are still subject to male control. It remains a crime for a woman to “disobey” her male guardian (father, husband, brother or even son), which effectively renders null and void any new freedoms she may in theory have acquired.

Moreover, gender-based violence is not adequately defined in law and criminalised. Recent reforms that are supposed to protect women from abuse lack adequate means of enforcement, leaving many trapped in abusive relationships. Gender-based violence continues to have a devastating impact on many women’s lives.

In this case, based on the information it has received, ALQST believes that the reason for Shaimaa al-Baqmi’s disappearance is that the authorities arrested her after her father reported that she had run away from home and accused her of matters affecting state security.

ALQST therefore calls on the Saudi authorities to disclose where she is being held, to release her immediately, and to provide the means to ensure her safety.