Video of Saudi woman allegedly being abused by her husband goes viral

Videos capturing assaults and other incidents aren't uncommon in Saudi Arabia but the most recent one has left people in the kingdom outraged.

Over the weekend, a video in which a woman is heard screaming as she was allegedly being assaulted by her husband went viral on Twitter.

The footage was captured by the woman's neighbor in the city of Abha, which is located in the kingdom's Assir region.

Soon after the video was uploaded to the social media platform late on Sunday, people angered by the incident urged authorities to take action and help save the victim of the assault.

Just hours after the incident first started to make the rounds online, officials in Assir issued an order to investigate the matter.

According to Okaz, the governorate's police department and officials from the kingdom's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs said their investigation revealed the woman was not abused or beaten by anyone.

An official medical report also stated the woman showed no physical signs of an assault.

However, in his statement on the matter, spokesman for Assir's governorate Saad bin Abdullah Al Thabit said investigations into the matter are still ongoing and will continue until "the entire truth is found."

Even though initial investigations stated the footage might have been fabricated, Anas Abdel Raheem, a cousin of the woman who filmed the footage, confirmed that was untrue.

In a statement he made on Saudi TV show "Ma'aali Al Mowaten," Abdel Raheem, said: 

"The footage is not fabricated, my cousin reported the incident to police after she heard the woman's screams. She called them half an hour before she uploaded the footage on Twitter. They were quick to respond after the video went viral."

When asked if his cousin was arrested for filming or sharing the video, Abdel Raheem said she hadn't been detained.

"She was only contacted by authorities who asked her questions about what she saw and heard," he added.

A local Saudi newspaper also confirmed the authenticity of the footage, accusing Assir authorities of trying to cover up the incident.

"Now I truly support the end of the kingdom's male guardianship system because some people don't deserve to be called fathers or brothers." 

"After the Twitter campaign calling on authorities to save the abused woman in Abha, which reminded us of Sarah Ibrahim's fabricated cancer story, Assir's governorate confirms that the alleged victim was not subjected to any form of abuse and that they've officially investigated the matter." 

"And you believe that it's fabricated? I feel that it's true. When I was young, I remember hearing the same cries coming out of my neighbor's house. We're not even asking for authorities to end the male guardianship system at this point, all we want is a law that protects women against abuse." 

"There is no way this is fabricated." 

"To all married women, if you forgo your rights once, get ready for a long journey of degrading abuse." 

Domestic abuse that many Saudi women are subjected to continues to be underreported because many victims live with families who normalize gender-based violence and are often forced to remain silent about what they endure.

However, those who have come forth in recent years did so because of positive changes the kingdom has made in a bid to tackle the issue.

Saudi Arabia criminalized domestic violence in 2013 following an organized media campaign.

In 2016, the country also set up a domestic violence reporting center. In its first three days, the center received 1,890 domestic violence reports.

Violence against women isn't only prevalent in the kingdom though, it is also widespread in countries across the Arab world.