Suicide of Eden Knight

Eden Knight (March 8, 2000 – March 12, 2023) was a Saudi Arabian trans woman living in the United States. Her father, Fahad Al-Shathri, is a Saudi financier who worked at the International Monetary Fund and has served as Deputy Governor for Supervision at the Saudi Central Bank since June 2018. Knight attended high school in the Washington metropolitan area and an international school in Riyadh before enrolling at George Mason University to study computer science. After moving to the U.S. and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she came out as transgender and became involved with the online trans community, hoping to become an advocate for trans people, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

In February 2022, Knight lost her student housing after her international scholarship reportedly ran out and her visa expired; she intended to seek political asylum. She moved in with an American couple in Georgia who hoped to support her asylum process and grew close to her. That year she began feminizing hormone therapy.

In August 2022, two American fixers hired by Knight's parents — identified as Michael Pocalyko and Ellen Cole — contacted her, promising help with her family relationship and immigration status. Some friends grew suspicious of Pocalyko's conduct, and he reportedly restricted communication to Knight alone. In October 2022, the fixers persuaded her to travel to Washington, D.C., where she was met by Pocalyko, Cole, and a Saudi attorney identified as Bader, who took her to a hotel. Over several days, Bader allegedly became coercive, showed her images intended to pressure her against a feminine gender presentation, and incorrectly told her she could not apply for asylum in the U.S. and would need to return to Saudi Arabia. Knight, fearing her undocumented status could be used against her, was made to adopt a more masculine appearance, was confronted by her parents, and was flown back to Saudi Arabia in December 2022.

In Saudi Arabia, her family confiscated her passport and money. She attempted to continue hormone therapy secretly, but her parents repeatedly found the medication during searches; they later admitted to hiring Pocalyko, Cole, and Bader to bring her back from the United States.

On March 12, 2023, Knight posted a suicide note to Twitter recounting these events; it received 31 million views within days. Her family confirmed her death the next day in tweets that repeatedly deadnamed her. The case prompted online tributes, the hashtag #JusticeForEden, commentary from trans advocates and a U.S. representative, and protests outside Saudi embassies in Dublin and London. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the allegations were being studied. A BBC World Service investigation reported links between the Saudi attorney identified as Bader Alomair and earlier cases involving the covert return of Saudi nationals from the United States.