Saudi lawyer’s embassy ties revealed in trans student’s final message - BBC World Service Docs

In March 2023, a post went viral on Twitter - the ‘Final Message’ from Eden Knight, a young Saudi transgender woman.

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It was viewed over 35 million times. It laid bare Eden’s journey from the US back to Saudi Arabia and the betrayal she claimed to have suffered. #BBCEye investigates the events that led up to Eden’s death and those she claims were responsible for her return to Saudi Arabia where she tragically took her own life.

Many theories surrounded the circumstances of her death. Eden claimed she had been encouraged to return to Saudi Arabia from the US by a lawyer, whom she never fully identified. Investigative journalist Katy Ling sets out to find him and the other individuals mentioned in Eden’s ‘Final Message’.

Eden had been living in the US, hoping to start a new life. She was studying computer science on a scholarship funded by the Saudi government. In 2022 she started her transition. Knowing her family would never accept her, Eden made the difficult decision to cut ties with them and to claim asylum in the US.

While seeking asylum, Eden was contacted by an American businessman offering help. He introduced her to a lawyer in Washington DC. Text messages and social media posts reveal that Eden believed the lawyer was assisting her with her asylum application, but just two months later, she was on a plane back to Saudi Arabia with him.

Using geolocation data, animation, social media posts, and text messages from Eden’s friends, the BBC reconstructs the final months of Eden’s life. In Atlanta, Katy meets Eden’s closest friends, who share the fears that drove Eden’s decision to leave her family behind and the hope she had for her future.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. In the UK, visit BBC.co.uk/actionline for resources and helplines. For international support, visit befrienders.org.

00:00 Pre-title
02:00 Saudi Trans: Eden’s Final Message
03:46 Who was Eden?
05:53 The transition journey
08:00 Grabbing the wrong attention
09:48 Claiming asylum in Washington DC
11:30 Who is Bader?
14:30 Eden’s time in DC
18:30 Searching for Bader
22:49 Other cases handled by Bader
24:40 Eden returns to Saudi
27:09 “It’s over”

🎞️ To watch more investigative journalism from our award-winning BBC Eye investigations team, check out this documentary playlist:    • BBC Eye Documentaries  

The BBC 100 Women team produces documentaries and features that challenge the under-representation of women in media. If you want more women-centred stories, check out their specially curated playlist 👉🏽    • BBC 100 Women  

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