Saudi influencer loses custody of children after husband says her tattoos and green hair make her an unfit mum
AN INFLUENCER lost custody of her children after her husband told a court in Saudi Arabia that her tattoos and green hair made her an unfit mum.
Refa Al-Yemi, who has a large online following on TikTok and Snapchat, was then allegedly kidnapped by relatives who reportedly felt she was shaming them with her online activities.
The fitness coach often shares health and beauty tips on her social media platforms.
According to local news sites, she was allegedly forcibly taken from her apartment in Jeddah by family members.
Rumours then started to circulate online that the popular influencer had been the victim of an “honour killing”, with the hashtag #IsRefaKilled? topping trends of Twitter in Saudi.
However, it was later confirmed that she had been taken from her apartment to Najran, but police had stopped the car and four people had been arrested, reports Albawaba.
Authorities have said Refa is safe and is being looked after by social services.
Human rights defenders including Lina Alhathloul – whose sister Loujain was recently released from jail after calling for women’s freedom in Saudi – had expressed concern for Refa online.
Lina claimed in a tweet: “Rafa was an independent woman. Her male relatives did not like it and abducted her.
“She was found by the police, and instead of being saved, she was put in a care home aka a prison.”
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Police have not confirmed whether the four people arrested are relatives of Refa.
Fears that the social media star had been killed began to circulate shortly after she lost custody of her four children.
Her husband was awarded custody after using her tattoo’s, hair colour and images of her workouts in court as “proof” that she was not a fit mum.