Rania Flees, ‘Won’t Come Back’
Maha Akeel, Arab News

JEDDAH, 8 October 2005— Saudi television presenter Rania Al-Baz whose near-death assault by her ex-husband Mohammed Al-Fallata was widely reported, has fled the country and decided not to return. Reports of her alleged escape aboard a foods lorry bound for Bahrain and from there to Paris were posted on Arabic websites two days ago. The reports claimed that she was prevented from traveling when she went to Jeddah International Airport last week for a trip to Paris where she was supposed to attend a conference on women’s rights. She has been traveling to Paris regularly to continue her plastic surgery treatment of multiple facial fractures caused by her ex-husband’s brutal beatings.

A report in The Guardian newspaper confirmed that she was in Paris and that she “won’t go back”. She said that she was looking for a place to live and find work either in Paris or London.

As for the reason why she fled, Rania told the British paper: “I was not safe any more in Saudi Arabia.”

In the last episode of this continuing saga, Rania Al-Baz was last reported to be hosting a morning TV program for Al-Arabiya TV out of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, on a temporary basis. According to current reports, she’s fled the country for good, leaving her three children (ages unknown) behind. Reporting on the story does not give any clue as to what led to this dramatic change. More as it becomes available…