A Saudi woman who attempted to commit suicide on Tuesday was saved by the police after they located her on what seems to be the third floor of a building still under construction in Al Qasim governorate.
A source knowledgeable about the case told Okaz newspaper that the 20-year-old woman was found to be "mentally unstable," negating a circulating story on social media that claims she's a victim of domestic abuse.
The source added that the young woman didn't suffer any injuries during the incident and was "on good terms with her family." She was referred to a local hospital for treatment and continues to be under monitoring.
A committee working under the Family Protection Unit in Bareeda and Al Rass cities was dispatched to investigate the case. They continue to follow up on it as the woman remains at the hospital.
When the story first broke, several Saudi tweeps shared it under a hashtag titled "an abused woman attempts suicide."
Despite the fact that local authorities refuted claims that the woman's suicide attempt was spurred by familial abuse, people on social media continue to speculate the matter. This is because in the footage capturing the incident, the woman can be heard harrowingly screaming things like "send me to prison" and "I don't want you people, you are not human beings" as a man appeared to be pleading with her not to jump.
Many local tweeps took her words to mean that she was trying to escape something — possibly an abusive situation. Others called on authorities to further investigate the matter in order to protect the woman.
Some believe the authorities' story and think the incident is "fabricated by feminists"
"I don't know if it's true or fabricated but what I am sure of is that feminists can do more than this."
However, the majority of tweeps felt the incident was instigated by a case of abuse
"She preferred to go to prison even though she hasn't committed a crime, just because she's a woman. There are so many women like her out there, living with inhumane families abusing the fact that there isn't a law to protect women. So they insult her, control her, and deprive her of her most basic rights. Strict laws must be implemented in real life, they shouldn't only be written out on paper."
A few think authorities are attempting a cover-up
"Instead of solving the underlying problem and criminalizing violence, you went about discrediting this poor woman!!! You have no credibility, you're just like that reporting center, you're all liars."
"I once resorted to these reporting centers and they did nothing"
"What's terrifying is that the employees at reporting centers and protection homes all have the same rhetoric and are devoid of humanity. I once resorted to these reporting centers and they did nothing. Instead of giving me justice, they did the opposite. An employee at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development even asked me to write things to incriminate myself. If I hadn't rejected her nonsense, I would've been in jail now."