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Several women were forcibly removed from a Qatar Airways flight and searched without clothes after a baby was found in the airport bathroom. Photo / Getty
Officials who ordered intrusive medical examinations of female passengers, including a Kiwi woman, at Doha airport earlier this month have been referred for prosecution.
Authorities removed the women from a Qatar Airways plane bound for Sydney and subjected them to vaginal exams at Hamad International Airport in Doha on October 2 after the discovery of a premature newborn girl in a terminal toilet.
In an official statement released on Friday, he said authorities had “violated” procedures.
“The preliminary investigation into the attempted murder of a newborn baby found in very serious condition at Hamad International Airport (HIA), and the subsequent procedures carried out by the authorities at the airport, including the examination of several female passengers, they revealed that standard procedures were violated, “read the statement from the government communications office.
“Those responsible for these violations and illegal actions have been referred to the Public Ministry.”
He continued that specialized working groups will review and identify possible gaps in the procedures and protocols followed at the airport, “in order to address them and ensure that violations are avoided in the future.”
The Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, expressed the apology of the Government of the State of Qatar for what the travelers went through as a result of the measures.
“This incident is the first of its kind at HIA, which has served tens of millions of passengers without problems like this before,” he said.
“What happened is totally incompatible with the culture and values of Qatar. Qatar is fully committed to the safety of all travelers arriving or passing through the EIS.”
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) confirmed this week that a New Zealand citizen “was involved in the terrible incident that involved female passengers on several Qatar Airways flights.”
The incident, which reportedly also involved 13 Australian women and has been reported to the Australian Federal Police, has been described by Foreign Minister Marise Payne as “tremendously disturbing and offensive”.
In a statement released on Friday, Payne said he welcomed the Qatari government’s recognition of the offensive mistreatment and the Prime Minister’s apology.
He said that Qatar’s preliminary investigation into this incident has shown that illegal actions occurred.
“It is an important step that these crimes have been referred to the Public Ministry.
“The statement of the Government of Qatar is consistent with our expectations of contrition, responsibility and determination to avoid a repeat of this disturbing episode.”
In a previous statement, Payne said the incident is “a tremendously disturbing, offensive and troubling set of events.”
“It is not something that I have heard happen in my life, in any context, (and) we have made our views very clear to the Qatari authorities on this matter.”
In a statement issued Wednesday, the government said the girl was rescued from “what appeared to be a gruesome and gruesome attempt to kill her.”
“This egregious and life-threatening violation of the law prompted an immediate search for the parents, including on flights close to where the newborn was found,” the statement read.
“While the purpose of the urgently determined search was to prevent the perpetrators of the horrific crime from escaping, the State of Qatar regrets any distress or violation of the personal freedoms of any traveler caused by this action.”
CCTV footage has been released claiming to show the moment paramedics found the baby.
Doha News released the video on Wednesday after the Qatari government revealed that the baby was found in a plastic bag and “buried under garbage.”
The baby is now safely under medical care in Doha.
Meanwhile, the Transport Workers’ Union is considering boycotting jobs at Qatar Airways following the invasive act.
You are considering banning all servicing, cleaning or refueling of Qatar Airways jets flying into Sydney Airport.
The union says it has been forced to confront the airline in the past for ignoring the international labor rights of its workforce, and they are willing to act again on this issue, Nine News reports.
The potential action was due for a vote Thursday.
Since then, ABC has spoken with two women who were passengers on Qatar Airways Flight 908 to Sydney, which was delayed hours after the premature baby was found alive in the airport bathroom.
“No one spoke English or told us what was going on. It was scary,” one of the women told ABC.
“There were 13 of us and they all forced us to leave.
“A mother close to me had left her children asleep on the plane. There was an old woman who had vision problems and she had to go too. I’m pretty sure they searched her.”
The other woman told ABC that they took her to an ambulance and locked her inside with a nurse.
“They never explained anything to me. He told me to pull down my pants and that I needed to examine my vagina,” she said.
“I said ‘I’m not going to do that’ and she didn’t explain anything to me. She just kept saying, ‘We have to see it, we have to see it.
She told ABC that she was forced to take off her clothes and the nurse inspected and touched her.
“I was in a panic. Everyone had turned pale and was shaking.
“I was very scared at the time, I didn’t know what the possibilities were.”
The first woman to speak to ABC said that while she respected Qatari law, she was considering taking legal action.
“If the other 12 women filed a class action lawsuit, it would definitely be a part of that,” she said.
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