Australian women sue Qatar Airways over invasive searches at airport

(Image: Qatar Airways)

Five Australian women have filed a lawsuit against Qatar Airways over a 2020 incident in which they were subjected to invasive medical examinations. The women were forcibly removed from a plane at gunpoint and allegedly strip searched without explanation or consent, reports The Guardian.

They are now seeking damages from the airline and the Qatari government two years after the incident, which was reportedly prompted by an investigation into the abandonment of a newborn baby at a Doha Airport bathroom.

On October 2, 2020, more than a dozen women were escorted off a Qatar Airways plane on ground by armed security guards. They were subjected to invasive examinations as authorities searched for a woman who had abandoned a newborn baby in a plastic bag at Hamad international airport in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

According to the New York Times, some women were forced to remove their underwear, while others had their stomachs pressed.

Five Australian women who were part of the invasive searches have now sued Qatar Airways and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority for “unlawful physical contact” and mental trauma incurred as a result of the searches.

The women said they were also left with hefty medical bills “as a result of needing to take medical leave from work due to the effects of the events on … mental health”.

Qatar has said it will review the protocols “followed at Hamad International Airport, in order to address them and ensure that any violations are avoided in the future.”

“His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior expressed the Government of the State of Qatar’s sincerest apology for what some female travelers went through as a result of the measures,” the Qatari government said in a statement.