Saudi princesses 'held captive' for over a decade

by four women in Saudi Arabia is not always easy even for those born into families of wealth and power and for princesses daughters of the 89 year old King Abdullah are alleged to have been singled out for extreme treatment they say they've been locked away from the world for 13 years their offense speaking out against the restrictions on women in their fathers secretive state now in her first television interview their mother who lives in exile in London has broken the silence about their suffering she's been talking to our reporter Fatima mangie a father with his four beautiful daughters but this father is king up the law of Saudi Arabia now his second wife has gone public about what she claims his years of abuse against his four daughters it is an extraordinary insight into the House of Saud the secretive family that has held absolute power for more than 80 years the king his sons power is blinded them what can I say to someone who doesn't even feel guilty that he did this to his own flesh and blood what can I say Allah Nudell Freya's was King Abdullah's second wife one of at least thirty now in London she doesn't want to be recognized I knew it was married at 15 and had never laid eyes on him until her wedding day soon she had four daughters but no son so her the eldest she's bright she's the artist she's she always make us laugh Maha she was quiet but beautiful and sensitive and loving caring and then hala hala is very sensitive she used to be very quiet drew Judah or du'a my youngest she's very similar to Maha in the character that that they are quiet types that's my daughter's King she could scare all of them it was a privileged childhood skiing trips in the Alps visits abroad but after their mother was divorced by the king things deteriorated and she eventually fled to London for the last 13 years the girls say they have been trapped in the Royal compound in Jeddah and are barred from leaving the country their mother hasn't seen them in person for a decade they are really in a terrible state especially to her and her she's telling me mummy we are trying to just hold on on our sanity from the compound they sent us this picture of a surveillance tower that they claim watches them day and night via email princess Sahar told us people don't realize how hard our situation is they still see us as pampered Saudi princesses we never were we suffer on a daily basis princess Sahara sent us these pictures of their villa to show it's far from a gilded cage she says the house is slipping into ruin with leaking pipes and shattered windows you imagine yourself locked in a palace without air mates without any people only their animals isolated from the world what they are hanging to life they don't deserve what happened to them their mother says she's especially worried about princess hala who is suffering from extreme anorexia and psychological problems I only ask of them or for whoever is interested get my daughters to see a doctor here in the West not there here in London with me being there and we'll see who's lying princess Sahara is now 42 and sent us this recent picture of herself she told us she was speaking out after being threatened by her father the King our Father said that we had no way out and that after his death of brothers will continue abusing us entertaining us in London their mother says she's tried everything to get her daughter's released her lawyers have asked to visit the princesses in Saudi and have submitted a lengthy deposition to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in that official document they even make this extraordinary allegation for 13 years they've been systematically drugged and been forced to take poisonous substances detrimental to their health they call on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to denounce these attacks and bring them to an end this could serve as an example for countless women in Saudi Arabia Channel 4 News put this claim and all the others to the government of Saudi Arabia through their embassy here in London but so far we've had no response the houses are wood is one of the most secretive in the world the King now thought to be 89 is worth an estimated 11 billion pounds and is fettered by the West just a few weeks ago Prince Charles showed off his dancing skills there President Obama will visit later this month yet the princesses say the West remained silent on human rights abuses in the country particularly the treatment of women tonight saw her told us via email women and children in Saudi Arabia are abused while their male Guardians enjoy privileges granted by the court in cases of domestic abuse princes and the elite entourage are protected and the victims and their families suffer injustice the princesses insist this is not about their royal status after 10 years they just want the right to see their mother and they are speaking out to show how so many women suffer under what they describe as a brutal and oppressive regime

Channel: Channel 4 News

Views: 938,885

Rating: 4.2993212 out of 5

Keywords: saudi arabia, women's rights, princesses, king abdullah

Id: i0R6TLNRpiY

Length: 5min 53sec (353 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 10 2014