Saudi Coach Rifaa Al-Yami Believed to be Killed by her Family!

Suspicion surrounds the family of coach Rifaa Al-Yami, who is believed to be kidnapped and killed at the hands of her tribe.

A Twitter hashtag “#هل_رفعه_مقتوله” which means “#IsRafaaKilled?” has topped trends in Saudi Arabia claiming that Rifaa was killed by her family members, after being kidnapped from her apartment in Jeddah, in the name of honor.

Earlier, the husband of the Saudi coach has taken custody of his kids by filing charges against his wife using her tattoos and her hair color, her job as trainer and pictures of her workouts; claiming that she was igniting public shame.

The murder rummers have been going on since the middle of February, as Rifaa’s family and tribe members were accused of killing her. However, later she was found while being forcibly transported on the hands of 4 of her family members from Jeddah to 
Najran, but they were stopped and arrested by the police.

Human rights defenders, including Lina Alhathloul, sister of human rights activists Loujain, who was recently released from jail after calling for women’s freedom in Saudi Arabia as well as Omani Activist, Author & Law student Nabhan Alhanshi, have been worried about the coach’s life.

Translation: “Customs and traditions in male societies have made a girl's family or the environment around her the most dangerous place for her to live! Many girls are victims of violence and intimidation to the point of being killed! No matter how different the causes for this risk, the source remains one: the man!”

It is worth mentioning that trainer, Rifa'a Al-Yami, has a wide number of followers on social media platforms, especially on Snapchat and she uses her accounts to teach sports and sharing tips about health, beauty and fitness.