HONG KONG — Two Saudi sisters made a daring plan to escape to Australia, fleeing what they described as an oppressive life, only to have their journey cut short at an airport in Hong Kong, their lawyer says.

The women, who are seeking asylum, have been in hiding since September, after they were prevented from boarding a connecting flight to Melbourne at the Hong Kong International Airport, the lawyer said on Friday.

The sisters’ odyssey, which they have chronicled on a Twitter account that their lawyer, Michael Vidler, confirmed belongs to them, appears to be the latest example of women from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East nations trying to leave restrictive societies.

The sisters, 18 and 20, have declined to publicly reveal their true identities — and have assumed the pseudonyms Reem and Rawan — out of fear that it would hurt them, Mr. Vidler said. If they returned home, he added, they could be severely punished.