CAIRO: An Egyptian woman who said her father forcefully kept her in Saudi Arabia returned Sunday to Egypt after she reached an agreement with her family.
Heba Najeeb, 27, was the subject of Egyptian media and internet blogs calling on the Egyptian foreign ministry to secure her return to Egypt after her father, who is also her guarantor (a requirement for residency in Saudi Arabia), took her passport and residence visa three years ago to keep her from traveling.
“The agreement between Heba and her family stipulates that she return home in return of stopping the media hype surrounding the issue, Ahmed Ragheb, a lawyer from the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, who has been working on Najeeb’s case, told Daily News Egypt.
“Heba is now settled in Egypt but she doesn’t want to talk to any media outlet as per her agreement with her family, Ragheb added.
Under Saudi law, a permit is required for anyone seeking departure from the country. For women, an added approval is needed from their male sponsor, who, in Najeeb’s case, is her father.
Attempts to reach Najeeb by Daily News Egypt were unsuccessful.
She previously told Daily News Egypt that she has been reaching out to the Egyptian embassy and Saudi officials as well as international human rights organization and foreign embassies for three years to help her return to Egypt, but to no avail.
Najeeb, born in Sohag, moved with her family to Saudi Arabia in 1983.
Controversy surrounded Najeeb’s case as many blamed her for defying her father and violating traditions and religious values, while others supported her bid to return to her home country.
Her group on the social networking site Facebook attracted more than 3,000 members in a few days.
