Saudi sisters found dead in Sydney 'feared they were being followed by a private investigator'

Two Saudi sisters found dead in their Sydney apartment two months ago were reportedly afraid they were being tracked by a private investigator, according to reports in Australian media. 

The bodies of Asra, 23, and Amaal Alsehli, 24, were found in their beds in a Canterbury apartment, a suburb of Sydney on 7 June. 

Two Saudi sisters who fled to Australia and were seeking asylum were found dead in their apartment.

The sisters were dead for nearly a month before they were found.

People who spoke to @smh say the sisters were constantly living in fear. https://t.co/G1kBWtqQ73

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 31, 2022

Local police said they had been dead for more than a month when they were found and appealed to the local community for help. 

The sisters were seeking asylum in Australia but their applications for permanent protection had been rejected, reported The Australian.

A source close to the sisters said one had applied for asylum on the grounds that she was a lesbian, and the other that she was an atheist, according to 7 News.

The revelation comes after they reportedly told acquaintances at a January event that gay women "live in fear" in Saudi Arabia, as reported by The Guardian. 

Both homosexuality and atheism are illegal in Saudi Arabia, which is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Atheism was branded "terrorism" by Saudi authorities in 2014.