Australia said to offer visa to fleeing Saudi woman

This screen grab from a video released to AFPTV via the Twitter account of Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun shows a still of Qunun speaking in Bangkok on Monday. (AFP PHOTO / TWITTER / Courtesy of Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun)

Australia will reportedly offer a humanitarian visa to 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed Qunun if the office of the UN High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) finds her claim is legitimate.

The Australian New Daily news website reported on Tuesday that the Saudi runaway will be offered an Australian humanitarian visa if UNHCR determines that she is a genuine refugee -- a process that is expected to take five to seven days.

The newspaper said it had seen a copy of a three-month Australian tourist visa issued online on Dec 6 and valid for two years. Officials had declined to confirm that that visa is still valid, the report said.