LGBTQ+ activist finally “treated like a human” in Australia after fleeing Jordan
Alshaima Omama Alzubi, a non-binary lesbian, landed safely in their new home of Australia on 1 January. After first fleeing to Turkey in July 2020, they later made it to Lebanon where they spent a week in custody last Christmas.
They were stripped of their passport and made aware of an Interpol Red Notice out for their arrest, though managed to get to Australia thanks to the endless work of NGOs and human rights organisations.
Alzubi, who was previously only known to the media as AOA, told SBS News that they finally feel “supported”. “Now I feel supported, seen, heard and treated like a human being regardless of my beliefs, gender identity, and sexual orientation,” they explained.
According to Amnesty International, Alzubi’s family is very powerful and has a lot of influence in the Middle East, as well as some of them working for the Jordanian government – something which made it much harder for them to escape. “I was terrified of getting deported,” they said of their time being detained in Lebanon – something which Jordan’s Foreign Ministry has denied any involvement with.
