The Washington Court of Appeals will rule after hearing a high-profile custody case involving international intrigue at Wenatchee High School on Tuesday.
Bethany Alhaidari is fighting with her ex-husband from Saudi Arabia for custody of their child.
The Spokane-based Court of Appeals Division III traveled to Wenatchee on Tuesday to hear three cases, with the custody dispute receiving the most attention.
Alhaidari fled Saudi Arabia with her child in 2019, claiming she was forced into a mediation agreement with her husband after the Saudi court approved a divorce between her and Ghassan Alhaidari but did not grant her alimony.
The Saudi court decision allowed joint custody of the couple’s child, but prevented Bethany Alhaidari from traveling abroad with the child for more than 28 days.
In 2020, Bethany filed for legal protection in Chelan County and was granted custody of the child. The court also barred Ghassan from contact with the child.
Ghassan then sought enforcement of the Saudi court’s arbitration agreement here.
Chelan County Superior Court Judge Kristin Ferrera declined to enforce the Saudi decision, pointing out that Saudi Arabia’s laws deny due process to women, non-Muslims and non-Saudi citizens.
Ferrera’s decision against enforcing the Saudi court decision said that women in Saudi Arabia are not treated equally to men.
Bethany is an American citizen, non-Muslim and not a citizen of Saudi Arabia.
Ghassan Alhaidari is appealing Ferrera’s decision.
Bethany lives in the Wenatchee Valley with her now eight-year-old daughter Zaina.
She is an activist who has worked as a human rights consultant and runs a charity called saudijustice.org.
Alhaidari has a doctorate in human rights law and is now executive director of the Sage Advocacy Center, the advocacy group for abuse victims in the Wenatchee region.
Human Rights Watch filed an amicus brief in the appeal that said Alhaidari would face “serious risk of corporal punishment, a lengthy prison sentence and the death penalty” if she returned to Saudi Arabia to accompany her daughter , provided the court decided to send Zaina back.
Cases in the Douglas County and Grant County Superior Courts also heard oral arguments at Tuesday’s appeals court hearing in Wenatchee.
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