Qatar Airways avoids Australian lawsuit over women's invasive examinations
Qatar Airways avoids Australian lawsuit over women's invasive examinations
Five Australian women and others were searched in Doha in 2020 after a newborn baby was found in a bin.
Five Australian women who were strip-searched and invasively examined at Doha airport have failed in their bid to sue Qatar Airways.
They and other women were ordered off a flight and checked for whether they had given birth after a baby was found abandoned in an airport bin in 2020.
The incident sparked public outrage and it was condemned by several nations.
An Australian court found the state-owned airline could not be prosecuted under the laws governing global travel.
The five women filed a claim in the Federal Court of Australia in 2021, seeking damages over the alleged "unlawful physical contact" and false imprisonment, which had caused mental health impacts including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Other passengers - including from the UK and New Zealand - were not part of the lawsuit.
Prime Minister Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani tweeted: "We regret the unacceptable treatment of the female passengers... What took place does not reflect Qatar's laws or values."
Yes, cause women are usually treated so well in Qatar. If it doesn’t reflect your laws, then how did it happen? Are the people who did it going to have any kind of accountability?
The only people ever held accountable are the ones without power