[5][6] Her case spread widely on social media after she recorded a video with the help of a Canadian tourist at the Manila airport, in which she said she feared her family would kill her if she was sent back to them.
[9][10][11] This is a rare documented case in the history of female liberation in Saudi Arabia,[12][13] bearing many parallels to that of Princess Misha'al.
Madawi al-Rasheed, a visiting professor at the London School of Economics Middle East Centre, commented that Lasloom's case is "a classic... in which state and family cooperate against women in [the] KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia].
[27] Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte began a three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia on 10 April, the same day Lasloom attempted to fly to Australia.
[33] The Filipino government has been widely condemned by many groups for their poor response to the situation,[34] including Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth, who described it as appalling.
[37][38] A Saudi feminist who obtained the video from an eyewitness reported that Lasloom was forced onto the plane by her two diplomat uncles and Filipino police.
[17][39] Human Rights Watch interviewed four people linked to Lasloom's case, including two who said they had spoken to her at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
She was later forced onto a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, the pilots and crew of which were reportedly aware and supportive of Lasloom being returned to Riyadh against her will, siding heavily with her uncles.
While only confirmed to confidential sources and not officially verified, this is supported by flight path records, which show an abrupt change in direction and trajectory to avoid the airspace of Oman and Qatar.
Saudi campaigners reported that she was seen arriving in the country in a wheelchair, while multiple passengers exiting the airport told Reuters they had seen a woman being carried onto the plane screaming, before taking off in Manila, Philippines.
[52] Saudi-based journalist Vivien Nereim,[53][failed verification] who was at the airport, said there were no signs of the young girl, but confirmed the Saudi Human Rights Commission was following the case.
On 19 April 2017, a Saudi government official with knowledge of the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Bloomberg that she was being held in a detention facility for women aged under 30 as a precaution and does not face any charges, and authorities are trying to find "appropriate solutions" to allow her to live a normal life.
[72] A campaign was also started by Human Rights Watch,[73] instructing social media users to tweet Saudi King Salman using the hashtag #SaveDinaAli, urging a royal pardon.
The case continues to receive widespread media coverage due to the extreme and legally questionable nature of Lasloom's extradition.
[74] The report came a day after United States President Donald Trump announced a foreign trip to Saudi Arabia,[75] highlighting increased economic and political ties with the kingdom, while a deep cultural divide remains.
[80] Following reportage of Lasloom's story by Norwegian Public Broadcaster NRK, several parliamentarians, including Socialist Left Party Leader Audun Lysbakken and Abid Raja, requested foreign minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide take up the women's rights situation with Saudi Arabia.
[81] On 6 September 2018, Saudi Arabian sisters aged 18 and 20 fled their guardians while on a family vacation in Sri Lanka, and flew to Hong Kong, with the intention of seeking asylum in Australia.
Their case made international headlines when their deadline for asylum passed in February 2019, during which time they cited fears of being returned to Saudi Arabia like Dina Ali Lasloom.