Qatar's barbarity: Forced female invasive examinations turn int'l scandal

CAIRO – 25 November 2020: Qatari police officers are facing prison sentences after ordering a "humiliating" gynecological examination of Australian female travelers to search for the mother of a newborn girl who was found in a trash bin in the bathroom of Hamad International Airport.

An Australian victim who went through an invasive examination at the airport has spoken out about her “nightmare” experience on 60 Minutes Australia this week.

60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo said that Qatar “promotes itself as a modern and progressive state that welcomes and respects foreign visitors.”

“But that’s far from the truth. In reality Qatar is a dangerous destination, especially for western women.”

The international scandal became viral after a group of women, including 13 Australians, said that they were strip-searched by Qatari airport authorities without their consent.

The Qatari officials at the time said they did that after finding a newborn child abandoned inside one the airport’s bathrooms.

According to the victim, called “Jane” to protect her real identity, there was an announcement by a male speaker, who did not specify his identity or position at the airport, saying all females need to disembark the airplane and take their passports with them.

Without any warning, Jane and other Australian female passengers were snatched off the plane by “heavily armed guards.”

“There was no chance we could step up for ourselves . . .” she said with a voice choked with tears.

“At that point, scenarios were going through my mind . . . are we getting kidnapped? Are we being taken somewhere? Am I gonna see my husband or my family?

At the tarmac, there were ambulances awaiting the female passengers. They were then forced to enter the ambulances and told that they needed to be “tested” because a baby had been found inside a bathroom bin at the airport.

Jane said that they were asked to lie on a table and take off their underwear for checking by another female.

The show’s presenter said that the incident should make passengers reconsider choosing Doha as a transit destination: “The story of how she was assaulted is so unbelievable that not only will it outrage all Australians, it’s sure to make people reassess future travel to or via Qatar.”

Legal experts say the women could pursue a civil claim against either Qatar Airways, which could be launched in Australia against its Australian offices, or against the government of Qatar.