In June 2017, while attempting to fly to the United States, Sarah and Omar were banned from leaving Saudi Arabia and had their bank accounts frozen. The next year, they were brought into the prosecutor’s office and interrogated without the presence of legal representatives. For 2½ years, they and their family were intimidated into silence. Then, in March 2020 — after being interrogated and pressured to persuade their father to return just days earlier — their house was raided, and they were disappeared. They have since been charged with money laundering and conspiracy to escape the kingdom unlawfully, and have undergone secret trials without …
