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Canada and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads over human rights issues since the summer, when Canadian Twitter accounts urged the Saudi government to free women’s rights activists it had recently jailed.

Although Canadian officials said diplomats routinely raise human rights issues with their Saudi counterparts, the Saudi government reacted strongly to the public appeal and retaliated by freezing new trade, recalling its students from Canada and cancelling flights between the two countries.

In October, the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey further heightened tensions and put international scrutiny on the country’s human rights record.

Some Saudi female runaways fleeing abuse by their families have been caught trying to seek asylum abroad in recent years. Saudi activists say the kingdom, through its embassies abroad, has at times put pressure on border patrol agents in foreign countries to deport the women back to Saudi Arabia.

Australia national broadcaster ABC reported that the country’s Home Affairs Department announced late Tuesday that it would consider Alqunun’s application for asylum if she was found to be a genuine refugee, and called on the Thai authorities and UNHCR to assess her claim as quickly as possible.

“Due to privacy concerns, we cannot comment on a specific case without signed consent,” said Nancy Caron, a spokeswoman for Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The department relies on referrals from organizations such as the UN’s refugee agency to decide who can be resettled in Canada. If the agency refers someone, “Canada selects foreign nationals for resettlement who have no reasonable prospect of finding another durable solution,” she added.

“Canada is very concerned by and watching closely the situation of Ms. Rahaf al-Qunun,” said Stefano Maron, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada. “We are in close contact with partners about her situation. Canada will always stand up for human rights, very much including women’s rights.”

With files from The Associated Press.

• Email: mdsmith@postmedia.com | Twitter: mariedanielles