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Two British women were part of a group of travelers undergoing mandatory intimate medical examinations while flying through Qatar in early October, UK authorities confirmed.
British diplomats have formally complained to Qatari and Qatar Airways authorities about the strip registration examinations, described as “absolutely terrifying”, and asked for assurances that they would not be repeated.
The women caught in the forced checkpoints have described being asked to disembark from their flights in Doha without explanation and herded through the airport to underground areas where they were told to get into the waiting ambulances. They were told inside to remove their underwear so that a medical professional could examine them and see if they had recently given birth.
The Qatari government said Wednesday that the “urgently determined” search was prompted by the discovery of a newborn baby placed in a garbage can. The child is alive and in the care of the authorities. Qatar said it regretted any distress caused.
“We are providing continued support to two British women following an incident in Doha,” a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement. “We have formally expressed our concern with the authorities of Qatar and Qatar Airways and we are seeking assurances that an unacceptable incident like this cannot happen again.”
The Australian government confirmed earlier this week that 18 women on a flight from Doha to Sydney had also undergone the mandatory medical examination, including 13 Australian citizens and five people of other nationalities.
Passengers on 10 flights leaving Doha on the night of October 2 were affected, Australian officials said. It is unclear if the British women were on the flight to Sydney or on one of the other planes that were attacked.
The incident has turned into a major scandal in Australia, where the government has denounced the treatment of female passengers as “unacceptable”.
“The advice that has been given indicates that the treatment of the women in question was offensive, extremely inappropriate and beyond the circumstances in which women could give their free and informed consent,” said a spokeswoman for the minister’s office. Foreign Relations Officer Marise Payne said this week.
However, the government is under increasing pressure to strengthen its response. The Labor opposition demanded that Payne answer the phone to his Qatari ministerial counterpart to register his protest, because “people are outraged that Australian citizens have been treated in this way.”
Members of the multi-party parliament’s intelligence and security committee withdrew from a formal dinner at the residence of the Qatari ambassador on Thursday in protest of the incident.
Qatar’s record on women’s rights has been criticized in the past by human rights groups. Among the points of discrimination highlighted by Human Rights Watch are a penal code that “does not penalize domestic violence or marital rape” and a law on personal status that says that “the wife is responsible for taking care of the home and obeying her husband”.
At least one of the women subjected to the searches said she would consider taking legal action. “If the other 12 [Australian] the women filed a class action lawsuit, I would definitely be a part of that, ”she told ABC.
It is understood that the woman who gave birth has not been located and the airport continues to request that persons with information come forward.
The Qatari embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
