Saudi woman in suicide pledge if not reunited with husband
It was the police, delivering news a judge had annulled their marriage in absentia after some of Fatima’s relatives sought the divorce on grounds she had married beneath her. That was just the beginning of an ordeal for a couple who — under Saudi Arabia’s strict segregation rules — can no longer live together. They sued to reverse the ruling, publicised their story and sought help from a Saudi human rights group.
But they remain apart and Fatima said she is considering suicide if her appeal to King Abdullah does not reunite her with Mansour. “Only the king can resolve my case,” said Fatima. “I want to return to my husband, but if that is not possible, I need to know so I can put an end to my life.” Fatima’s case underscores shortcomings in Saudi Arabia’s Islamic legal system where evidence can be shaky, lawyers are often absent and sentences can depend on the whim of judges.
