JEDDAH, 3 January 2006 — Greed drove five brothers to imprison their sister in their house for one year and ban her from seeing her kids in order to force her to give up her right of inheritance, Al-Watan daily reported yesterday.
The brothers chained her door and there was only a small hole through which to provide her sustenance. She was forced to use a container instead of a bathroom.
Currently free, but still being harassed by her brothers to give up her rights to her father’s inheritance, the 47-year-old woman talked about her tragedy. A university graduate with three kids, she moved into her father’s house after a divorce. For six years she lived with her father and brothers. She decided to marry again in order to flee the constant harassment by her brothers.
Her troubles began during her second marriage, when one of her brothers came to her with a paper allegedly signed by her father saying he had control over all of her future inheritance. She said she believes that the paper is a forgery. Her father, she claims, is too old and infirm to realize what his sons are doing to her, and therefore too incognizant to have signed away her inheritance.
“After I got married, my brothers continued to harass me. They were instigating my husband against me and creating problems with me. One time my brother broke into my house and stole some documents,” said the woman.
She also said that her brother drew a weapon on her and forced her and her kids out of the house. He even forced her husband to divorce her and took her to her father’s house. Her husband took his kids away while the woman was left alone to face her brothers.
“My brothers are taking full control of our father’s wealth after dividing it between them. They want to force me to sign papers giving up my rights to inheritance.”
