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Several passengers were subjected to forced gynecological examinations after the discovery of a premature newborn abandoned in the airport toilets international event in Doha, the capital of Qatar, an incident “extremely disturbing” for Australia.
The events, reported by Australian television Seven News, occurred on October 2 and were disclosed by Australian passengers.
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Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Monday voiced her country’s disapproval.
“We have expressed our concerns very clearly to the Qatari authorities.”he said, adding that the Australian federal police had taken up the matter.
According to the Australian minister, a report from the Qatari authorities on this incident is “imminent”.
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The airport has limited itself to saying that women were asked to “participate” in efforts to locate the baby’s mother, which is alive, according to a statement.
A certain number of women, mainly Australian, they had to disembark from several planes and were transferred to ambulances where they were tested to see if they had recently given birth.
Women undergoing tests returned to the plane in shock
Qatar is governed by Islamic law, which harshly punishes women who become pregnant outside of marriage.
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“They forced women to undergo body examinations, mainly the Pap test by force (a smear)”A source in Doha who was informed of an internal investigation into the incident told AFP on Sunday.
Forced to disembark
Doha International Airport claimed that “the medical staff expressed concern to airport authorities about the health and well-being of a mother who had just given birth and asked to be located before she left. “
“The people who had access to the sector of the airport where the newborn was found have been invited to participate in the search,” added the airport authorities without specifying what was specifically asked of the women and how many were requested.
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Due to the incident, one of the flights, Qatar Airways’ QR908 bound for Sydney, arrived four hours late, according to surveillance site Flight Radar 24.
Women from other countries and flights were subjected to similar tests. The incident is being investigated in Qatar, according to ‘Seven News’.
They were all shocked, some angry, one was crying and nobody could believe what had just happened
The Doha airport asked the baby’s mother to come forward on Sunday, hinting that the tests were to no avail.
“The newborn still has not been identified, but is in good health and in the hands of medical and social personnel”reported the airport, which asks anyone with information about the mother to provide it.
Payne acknowledged that passengers reported the events to Australian officials “at the time of the flight” to Sydney, which was delayed.
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“In shock”
An Australian lawyer from Sydney, Wolfgang Babeck, who was a passenger on one of the affected flights, told AFP that the women undergoing the examinations had returned to the plane “in shock”, after having had to partially undress to be examined by a doctor.
“All were dismayed, some angry, one cried and nobody could believe what had just happened“said Babeck, who believes that the incident could constitute” a violation of international law. ”
AFP
