Hi my beautiful Supporters,

I'm back after being silent for almost a year or so without informing you about any updates on the cause.

Please forgive me.

Let's just say a lot has changed ever since I created this petition for the better and often times for the worse. I found myself in a sort of depressive state after a few events took place surrounding this cause and I just didn't find any strength in me to continue.

The young Saudi Arabian lady I initially created this petition for, Kholod Almousa (I've now disclosed her full name for reasons I will mention below) went missing last year 2019 around the month of October.

Kholod and I were always in communication with one another every day and we never lost touch until last year when she had decided to plan her escape. Her plan worked for the most part but it eventually failed because it got her caught by the very same people she was trying to escape from.

The last thing she said to me was that if she were to get caught I should know that she's either deceased or she's in Dar Al Reaya, a female prison where the likes of Loujain Athloul and other female activists are kept for torture.

I spoke about it in depth here:

https://medium.com/@feliciathobeka/dar-al-reaya-female-torture-chambers-in-saudi-arabia-f78c16271859

As you can imagine, nobody wants to receive a message like that not when you've formed a bond with somebody you basically considered a sister over the periods of time spent with her.

I tried getting her some help, asking locals in Saudi Arabia through my social media platforms if they could search for her as I've kept every detail of her information including her home address she gave me as well as the videos she asked me to leak if something ought to happen to her. The irony is that her and I always planned ahead and I think it's because deep down in our hearts we knew this time would come despite us trying to prevent it by all means.

People refused to help me and most of the rejection was credited by fear. Fear of being caught or worse killed for merely being a concerned individual in a country that states otherwise.

Fast forward to year 2020, Friday the 10th of July I still have not heard from Kholod. I got in contact with her cousin on instagram, begging and pleading with her to help me, with the assumption that she may care enough to be involved since it is her family after all.

Boy was I wrong.

She too denied to help her own cousin and in fact went to the extremes of deleting her account as I couldn't locate it any more.

Ever since then, everything just hasn't been the same. I'm always wondering if Kholod is okay and if most importantly she's alive. I think to myself if only I could go to Saudi but then again with my "loud" activism against the system, I can guarantee they wouldn't let me enter their airport alive.

They know about me. I know they know about me someway or the other.

So here I am in South Africa, fighting another warfare of the gruesome Gender based violence taking place in my country trying to make up for what happened to Kholod. I feel the need to continue because I know she would have never wanted me to stop fighting injustices that seem to be killing us as women every single day whether in Africa, Arab or the Golden States in the America's.

I need to fight but I can't do this without you all. I need you now more than ever and I thank you for all the support that you have given me thus far.