SARAH HARMAN TRACKED DOWN TWO WOMEN WHO USED THE FEATURE TO
SECURE THEIR FREEDOM.
>> Reporter: YOU MIGHT HAVE
ALREADY OF AN APP CALLED
ABSHIRE.
ABSHIRE. IT’S SOMETIMES CALLED THE
WIFE-TRACKING APP.
WIFE-TRACKING APP. EARLIER THIS YEAR, A GROUP OF
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS WROTE A
LETTER TO APPLE AND GOOGLE
DEPENDING THE APP BE REMOVED
FROM THEIR STORES.
THEY SAID A 21st CENTURY
INNOVATION SHOULD NOT PERPETUATE
16th CENTURY TYRANNY.
ABSHIRE WAS LAUNCHED BY THE
SAUDI GOVERNMENT IN 2015.
IT GIVES CITIZENS DIGITAL ACCESS
TO INTERIOR MINISTRY SERVICES.
BASICALLY IT’S MEANT TO SIMPLIFY
ANNOYING BUREAUCRATIC TASKS LIKE
RENEWING A PASSPORT OR
REGISTERING A VEHICLE.
BUT IF YOU’RE A SAUDI MAN,
ABSHIRE INCLUDES ATTENDANT
SERVICES WHERE YOU CAN GRANT
FEMALES ATTENDANTS PERMISSION TO
TRAVEL OR, IF YOU’RE INCLINED,
REVOKE IT.
REVOKE IT. OF COURSE, NOT EVERYONE THINKS
THIS IS A GREAT IDEA.
WE REACHED OUT TO GOOGLE AND
APPLE.
APPLE. GOOGLE DIDN’T RESPOND, AND APPLE
DIDN’T WANT TO COMMENT ON THE
RECORD.
RECORD. BUT LATELY, THE APP SEEMS TO BE
HAVING AN UNFORESEEN SIDE
EFFECT.
EFFECT. BY DIGITIZING THE PERMISSION
GRANTING PROCESS, IT MIGHT
INADVERTENTLY MAKING IT EASIER
FOR SOME WOMEN TO FLEE THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. AND THAT’S WHAT BROUGHT ME TO
MAHA AND WALFA.
I SAW A TWEET SAYING THEY’D FLED
SAUDI ARABIA SEEKING ASYLUM.
THEY SAID THEIR FAMILY AND THE
SAUDI GOVERNMENT HAD SUSPENDED
THEIR PASSPORTS AND THAT THEY
WERE NOW TRAPPED IN A TINY
POST-SOVIET NATION OF GEORGIA.
>> WE ARE IN DANGER.
WE NEED --
>> MAHA AND WALTHA WEREN’T JUST
FLEEING THE ULTRA CONSERVATIVE
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.
A COUNTRY WHERE WOMEN NEED A
MALE GUARDIAN’S PERMISSION TO DO
JUST ABOUT ANYTHING LIKE GET
MARRIED OR TRAVEL.
THEY WERE ALSO RUNNING AWAY FROM
AN ABUSIVE FAMILY, A FATHER THEY
SAY WHO BEAT THEM.
AND NOW THEY WERE STUCK IN
GEORGIA.
GEORGIA. WAITING FOR ANOTHER COUNTRY TO
ACCEPT THEIR PLEA FOR ASYLUM.
AND THEY WEREN’T HAVING MUCH
LUCK.
LUCK. >> SAUDI ARABIA DENIES CANCELING
THEIR PASSPORTS.
THEIR PASSPORTS. THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT DOESN’T
LOOK KINDLY ON THOSE WHO
CRITICIZE IT OR MAKE IT LOOK
BAD.
BAD. LAST YEAR A PROMINENT SAUDI
JOURNALIST LIVING IN
SELF-IMPOSED EXILE, JAMAL
KHASHOGGI, WAS MURDERED AFTER HE
SET FOOT INSIDE A SAUDI
CONSULATE IN ISTANBUL THINKING
HE WAS APPLYING FOR A MARRIAGE
LICENSE.
LICENSE. SAUDI ARABIA HAS ADMITTED HE WAS
KILLED INSIDE THE CONSULATE IN
WHAT THEY CALL A ROGUE
OPERATION.
OPERATION. BUT THEY MAINTAINS THE SAUDI
ROYAL FAMILY WAS NOT INVOLVED.
SO WE HEADED TO THIS TINY
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. SANDWICHED BETWEEN TURKEY AND
RUSSIA, HOPING THAT WE COULD
FIND THE SISTERS BEFORE THEIR
FAMILY DID.
FAMILY DID. GEORGIA ISN’T EXACTLY AN IDEAL
PLACE TO HIDE FROM THE LONG ARMS
OF AN OIL-RIGGED SUPERPOWER.
FOR STARTERS, THE CAPITAL IS
PRETTY SMALL.
PRETTY SMALL. IT MAKES IT HARD TO BE
ANONYMOUS.
ANONYMOUS. AND SAUDIS DON’T NEED VISAS TO
TRAVEL THERE.
TRAVEL THERE. SO ANYONE CAN COME LOOKING.
>> PRETTY MUCH FINDING NEW
PLACES TO STAY EVERY NIGHT
BECAUSE THEY’RE TOO SCARED TO
STAY IN ONE LOCATION FOR TOO
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE LONG.
LONG. >> KATYA IS AN AMERICAN
JOURNALIST BASED HERE.
SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO
INTERVIEW THE SISTERS FOR THE
ONLINE PLATFORM COTA.
SHE’S ALSO ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE
WHO KNOWS HOW TO FIND THEM.
>> IT’S DIFFICULT.
ON THE ONE HAND, THEY USE THE
MEDIA ATTENTION TO PUT PRESSURE
ON THE OTHER COUNTRIES, BUT
EVERY TIME THEY LEAVE THE
COMPOUND, THEY’RE AT RISK.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. SO IT DEFINITELY IS THIS
DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD WHERE THEY
HAVE TO TAKE THE RISK TO GET
THEIR FACES OUT, TO BE
RECOGNIZED.
RECOGNIZED. >> SO KATYA HELPED US SET UP A
COVERT MEETING.
COVERT MEETING. >> HI.
>> HI. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >> WHAT WAS YOUR LIFE LIKE IN
SAUDI ARABIA?
SAUDI ARABIA? >> WE CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT
-- ANYTHING, ANYTHING LIKE OUR
CLOTHING, NOTHING.
CLOTHING, NOTHING. >> FOR FIVE YEARS, THEY PLANNED
THEIR ESCAPE, SAVING MONEY,
RESEARCHING DESTINATIONS, AND
WAITING.
WAITING. WERE YOU SCARED?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> IT WAS THE FIRST TIME ON A
PLANE OR OUTSIDE OF SAUDI
ARABIA.
ARABIA. THE SISTERS ESCAPED BY HACKING
INTO THEIR FATHER’S ABSHIRE
ACCOUNT BUT DON’T WANT TO SAY
HOW.
HOW. THEY’RE CONCERNED GIVING TOO
MUCH DETAIL COULD MAKE IT HARDER
FOR OTHER WOMEN.
IS ABSHIRE A FRIEND OR ENEMY TO
YOU?
YOU? >> A FRIEND BECAUSE WE PLANNED.
>> EVEN FOR THEM, THE ISSUE
SEEMS COMPLICATED.
SEEMS COMPLICATED. LESS COMPLICATED IS HOW THEY
FEEL ABOUT RETURNING TO SAUDI
ARABIA.
ARABIA. SWITZERLAND, SWEDEN, SOUTH
KOREA, THEY DON’T SEEM TO CARE
WHERE THEY GO AS LONG AS IT’S
FAR FROM SAUDI ARABIA.
WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS FOR
YOURSELVES?
YOURSELVES? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO IN TEN
YEARS?
YEARS? >> MANY THINGS.
I WANT TO TRY EVERYTHING I CAN
THINK IN MY COUNTRY --
TO DO ANYTHING.
>> AFTER THE INTERVIEW, WE SAID
GOOD-BYE.
GOOD-BYE. MAHA AND WALTHA WENT BACK TO
THEIR SHELTER TO WAIT FOR
EMBASSIES, AID ORGANIZATIONS,
U.N. AGENCIES, BASICALLY ANYONE
WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP STEER
THEM OUT OF LIMBO IN GEORGIA.
AND I WENT BACK TO MY OFFICE IN
LONDON STILL FULL OF QUESTIONS.
A PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
AT WATERLOO UNIVERSITY IN CANADA
WAS KIND ENOUGH TO TRY TO ANSWER
SOME OF THEM.
>> THESE WOMEN HAVE BEEN IN
GEORGIA FOR OVER A MONTH, AND IT
DOESN’T SEEM LIKE MUCH PROGRESS
IS BEING MADE.
WHY DO YOU THINK SOMETIMES THESE
THINGS HAPPEN SO QUICKLY?
AND FOR OTHER PEOPLE IT -- IT
SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE DON’T CARE AS
MUCH?
MUCH? >> SAUDI ARABIA IS STILL A VERY
IMPORTANT ECONOMY.
IMPORTANT ECONOMY. IT IS THE NUMBER-ONE PURCHASER
OF WEAPONS IN THE WORLD.
IT IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY IMPORTANT
OIL SUPPLIER.
OIL SUPPLIER. IT HAS A LOT OF GEOPOLITICAL
WEIGHT INCLUDING IN WASHINGTON.
AND SO IT’S DIFFICULT FOR A LOT
OF COUNTRIES TO BE VERY PUBLIC,
VOCAL, IN THEIR CRITICISM OF
SAUDI ARABIA.
SAUDI ARABIA. >> SO BASICALLY IT’S JUST LUCK
AND TIMING AND WHICH WAY THE
GEOPOLITICAL WINDS HAPPEN TO BE
BLOWING WHICH IF I’M GOING
HONEST WAS NOT EXACTLY A
SATISFYING ANSWER.
SATISFYING ANSWER. THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER,
SOMETHING SLIGHTLY MORE
SATISFYING HAPPENED.
SATISFYING HAPPENED. ANOTHER TWEET.
ANOTHER TWEET. THE SISTERS WERE LEAVING
GEORGIA.
GEORGIA. THEY HAD GOTTEN ASYLUM IN A NEW
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. THEY DIDN’T SAY WHY THEY WERE
GOING OR WHY THEIR LUCK HAD
SUDDENLY CHANGED, ONLY THAT THEY
WANTED TO KEEP THEIR NEW
DESTINATION A SECRET.
AND THIS TIME, I DECIDED NOT TO
ASK.