Doha airport officers committed ‘illegal actions.’
Qatar has announced that the airport officers who ordered forced vaginal examinations of female passengers after a newborn child was discovered abandoned in a bin have been charged.
The police officers now face up to three years in prison.
“Extensive investigations revealed that some employees of the airport security department acted unilaterally by summoning female medical staff to conduct external examination to some female passengers, thinking that what they had done was within the law,” a statement from prosecutors said on Monday.
There was worldwide outrage after the story broke last month that women on a Qatar Airways Sydney-bound flight were strip-searched and examined.
Australia’s government described the reports as “grossly disturbing” and demanded answers from Qatar.
New Zealand revealed one of its citizens was among the women examined, labelling the “appalling incident…completely unacceptable”.
In related news, Qatar says it has since identified the parents of the newborn baby.
The mother is described only as of “Asian nationality” who “fled to Asia” after allegedly disposing of her baby in the airport.
She now faces an attempted murder charge and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted, though it is unclear if Qatar will be able to have her extradited.
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