The case had provoked a wave of international indignation. On October 2, 2020, passengers on ten Qatar Airways flights departing from Doha had undergone a forced gynecological examination, after the discovery of a newborn baby abandoned in the toilets of the airport. Eighteen women, including thirteen Australians, were involved. The authorities were then looking for the woman who had just given birth. In Qatar, officially, sexual relations and children outside marriage are punishable by prison terms.
Two years later, five women filed lawsuits in Australia against the airline and the Qatari civil aviation authority. They claim compensation and damages. Sunday, October 23, through their lawyer, the plaintiffs also summoned Qatar to guarantee the safety of supporters during the World Cup, which will be held from November 20 to December 18.
“This group of brave women” went to court “to tell Qatar that what happened was inadmissible and should not be allowed to happen again”their lawyer, Damian Sturzaker, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “Women have the right to obtain assurances from Qatar that human rights will be respected”he added.
Diplomatic scramble
According to documents filed in an Australian federal court in early October, the five women were between 31 and 73 years old at the time. They were all passengers on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney. While the plane was on the tarmac, an announcement asked all passengers on board to leave the aircraft with their passports. Of the “persons in uniform and armed” then entered the cabin, the documents state. Of the five complainants, four were then subjected to forced examinations of their genitals.
The women said they were given no information about the reasons for the forced examinations and were not given the opportunity to give informed consent. They accuse Qatar Airways and the authorities of negligence, assault, assault and battery, unlawful physical contact and forcible confinement. The airline and the government of Qatar have not yet commented.
This had sparked a diplomatic spat between Australia and Qatar, with Canberra strongly protesting the treatment of its citizens. In a statement, Doha said “regret[r] distress and violation of individual freedoms”adding that “the purpose of these urgently decided examinations was to prevent the escape of the perpetrators of a horrible crime”. Qatari Prime Minister Khaled Bin Khalifa Al Thani apologized and assured that an investigation would be carried out.
“Anxiety”, “depression” and “post-traumatic stress”
For his part, the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, was indignant against a procedure “appalling” and “unacceptable”. “As the father of a daughter, I can only shudder at the thought that anyone (…) can be subjected to this”he said.
All of the victims described suffering from“anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and other psychological effects”. Some have suffered economic damage because “they had to take medical leave because of the effects [de cet examen forcé] on their mental health.
One of them, a 33-year-old nurse, said she had not traveled since, report it New York Times. “That day, I completely changed as a person”she confided. “Looks like [que les responsables de cet événement] have moved on, that they have no regrets. They continue their lives normally, while we are all quite affected. It’s really unfair”, she added. Qatar “assured (…) that such a situation would not happen again, but we have no proof of this, and therefore we do not believe that anything has changed”she pointed out.
Doha faces a campaign of criticism ” unprecedented “ about the organization of the World Cup, said the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Ben Hamad Al Thani, on Tuesday.
FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar in 2010; tens of billions of dollars were spent by the emirate to prepare for the event. The rich gas state, however, is the subject of much criticism about the treatment of foreign workers, the rights of LGBT + and women, or the use of air conditioning in its eight stadiums.
” At the beginning, (…) we have (…) considered some of the reviews to be positive and helpful, helping us develop aspects that needed to be developed”said the emir. “But it quickly became clear to us that the campaign is persisting, spreading, that there are slanders and double standards”he added, speaking “relentlessness”.