Year-ender: Names under the spotlight in 2019

Rahaf Mohammed

Rahaf Mohammed, formerly Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, captured the world’s attention when appealing for help via Twitter from the transit area of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport saying she had "escaped Kuwait" and her life would be in danger if forced to return to Saudi Arabia.

Rahaf reportedly fled her family while visiting Kuwait and flew to Bangkok, where she was stopped at a Bangkok airport on Jan 5, 2019 by Thai immigration police, who denied her entry and seized her passport.

She then barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and launched a social media campaign through her Twitter account. She said her father physically abused her and tried to force her into an arranged marriage. Her father has denied both allegations.