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The Qatari government has said that it “regrets any distress or violation of the personal freedom of any traveler” caused by the decision to conduct intimate medical examinations of women transiting through Doha International Airport, in what it said was a ” urgently determined search. ” to find the mother of an abandoned baby.
On Wednesday morning, the Australian government confirmed that 18 women on a flight from Doha to Sydney underwent the mandatory medical examination, including 13 Australian citizens. Passengers on 10 flights leaving Doha on the night of October 2 were affected.
Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, said the invasive treatment of women was “unacceptable” and “appalling” and that his government would “continue to take a very strident approach” to seek answers and ensure that it is never repeated.
The Qatari government broke its silence on Wednesday, three days after the incident became world news. He said the search was triggered by the discovery of a baby in a garbage can at Hamad International Airport, “hidden in a plastic bag and buried under garbage.”
“The girl was rescued from what appeared to be a gruesome and gruesome attempt to kill her,” the statement said. “The baby is now safe under medical care in Doha.
“This was the first instance in which an abandoned baby was discovered in such a condition at the HIA; This egregious and life-threatening violation of the law triggered an immediate search for the parents, including on flights close to where the newborn was found. 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 anguish or violation of the personal freedoms of any traveler caused by this action.
“His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the State of Qatar, has ordered a full and transparent investigation into the incident. Research results will be shared with our international partners. The State of Qatar remains committed to ensuring the safety and comfort of all travelers transiting the country. “
Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday that travelers had the right to travel “free of such incidents” and that Australia expected to see the results of the investigation very soon.
“As the father of daughters, I could only shudder to think that any woman, Australian or not, would be subjected to that,” the prime minister said.
Morrison said he was determined to ensure that the incident did not recur, noting that Qatar Airways was playing a significant role in transporting around 15% of Australians returning home after being stranded during the pandemic.
When asked whether Australia would seek an unreserved apology from the Qatari government or compensation for the women, Morrison said the government would consider all options once it had a chance to review the investigation.
“There is no question in mind whether it is the Qatari airlines or the government, about Australia’s strong objections and views on this and I think those views are widely shared so we will give a further answer, not our first answer, one more answer, once we have a chance to see the results of that investigation. “
Eighteen women were traveling on the Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney, which has been featured in media reports this week.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne declined to name the other countries whose citizens were affected, but Agence France-Presse reported that a French woman was on the flight.
Payne said at a Senate estimate hearing on Wednesday that 10 flights departing from Hamad International Airport in Doha had been caught in the search.
Payne said the Department of Foreign Relations and Commerce had not learned of the number of other flights affected as of Tuesday.
“The issues that have been discussed in relation to this matter are very worrying and very distressing and the Australian government has been quite clear about it,” said Payne. “There are a number of meetings taking place in Qatar until yesterday. Australia is not the only country affected. “
Those meetings included the airport, Qatar Airways and the Qatari government, Payne said.
The incident was reported to Australian authorities by women on the flight upon arrival in Sydney on October 3. Some passengers made a report to Australian federal police at the airport, and a woman on the flight, a DFAT employee, sent an email to the department that night.
The woman was not traveling on official business.
The incident was immediately reported to the Australian consulate in Doha.
The department’s first undersecretary, Dr. Angela McDonald, spoke with the Qatari ambassador on October 6 and was told that a report on the treatment of women would be produced.
That report has yet to be produced. Payne said he had not spoken directly to anyone in the Qatari government before calling the ambassador this week. He said he had agreed to speak with the Qatari foreign minister after the report was released, and the Australian ambassador to Qatar met with the Qatari foreign minister overnight.
Labor Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong asked why the minister had decided not to speak directly to her Qatari counterpart and why she did not speak to the ambassador in person until the incident was reported this week.
“I understand the need to see the report … but surely we know enough to raise our deep concerns and express, at the highest levels of government, the importance of the report being publicly finalized.” Wong said.
Payne said there had been “broad engagement through this process … across the system.”
Foreign Affairs Department Secretary Frances Adamson said the Qatari government was also distressed by the incident.
“I must also say on the Qatari side that there is a very strong determination to report as soon as possible,” Adamson said.
“Is there?” Wong asked.
“Yes, there is, Senator,” Payne said.
Adamson said Qatar had “a reaction to this incident that I think matches ours in terms of the level of distress, loathing and deep questioning of how this could have happened.”
She said the department was taking the incident seriously and was “incredulous that it could have happened.”
“This is by no means normal behavior and Qatar recognizes that, it is horrified by it, does not want it to happen again and is working with other agencies,” Adamson said.
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 criminalize 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 to her husband”.
Payne said that he had not yet discussed the matter directly with the prime minister, but that his office had been informed on October 5, the same day his office was informed.
McDonald said no one from the department had been in direct contact with the women.
