The decomposed bodies of Asra and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, aged 24 and 23, were found in their beds in separate rooms in their apartment in Canterbury, south-west Sydney, in June. The police concluded that they had died a month earlier and, although there were no signs of a break-in or signs of injury on their bodies, they suspected foul play. After failing to make any progress in the investigation, police appealed to the public for help last month. Now a woman has come forward to say she met the sisters at a queer event in January where she was told gay women “live in fear” in Saudi Arabia. The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Guardian that: “They mentioned they were from Saudi Arabia and we talked about what it’s like to be queer there. They said women live in fear for their safety and were grateful to live in Australia where they could express themselves more freely.” The woman said police knew at least one of the sisters who identified as queer. “They confirmed to me that they knew one of the sisters was queer, but they weren’t sure about the other,” the woman said.
