Latest news with #stripsearch
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Major update after multiple Australian women were pulled off a flight and strip-searched at Doha airport when an abandoned baby was found in a bin
Five Australian women allegedly subjected to invasive strip searches have been given the go ahead to sue Qatar Airways after a 'long and stressful struggle'. The women, who cannot be legally named, were among hundreds of women alleged to have been forcibly removed from aircraft at Doha on October 2, 2020 as officials searched for the mother of a newborn found in a bathroom at the terminal. Taken off planes by armed guards, many alleged that they were forced to conduct non-consensual gynaecological or intimate physical examinations at Hamad Airport. One passenger was forced to undergo a strip search holding her five-month old son, the lawsuit claims. Another, who is elderly and legally blind, was directed out of the aircraft but was not subject to a search. The women, three of whom were allegedly subjected to invasive searches, launched legal action against Qatar Airways, the airport operator and the government-owned Qatar Civil Aviation Authority. After an initial ruling barred them from pursuing the airline and the QCAA, the Federal Court ruled on Thursday that the suit against Qatar Airways and the airport operator could continue. The women's lawyer Damian Sturzaker said his clients were relieved with their win after 'a very long and stressful struggle to bring this to court'. 'Unfortunately the case against the state of Qatar was unsuccessful, however this has always been an issue against the airline,' he said outside court. 'We've now got an opportunity to have a full hearing with all of (the women's) evidence coming out and, in those circumstances, we're very very pleased with the outcome today.' The women are seeking compensation for mental stress, for alleged assault and for the alleged false imprisonment during the airport incident nearly five years ago. They claim the airline and the airport operator were negligent and breached their duty of care to passengers who were forced off the plane and subjected to searches. A judge previously dismissed the women's claims against Qatar Airways as having no prospect of success because the searches didn't occur when disembarking or embarking the plane. However, the Full Court determined on Thursday there was 'no sufficiently high degree of certainty' that was the case and ruled it is an issue that should be decided at trial. Chief Justice Debra Mortimer, Justice Angus Stewart, Justice Stephen Stellios upheld the primary ruling that the women could not sue the QCAA because it has immunity as an entity of a foreign state. Qatar Airways was ordered to pay the legal bill accrued by the women during the appeal. The court battle between the two parties is not expected to be heard this year. Outside court, Mr Sturzaker said he was confident in his steadfast clients' case against the airline and the airport operator. 'They always would have liked to see a resolution to the matter but if that can't be achieved then of course the matter will go to hearing,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Aussie court says women can sue Qatar Airways over strip-search ordeal
Today's ruling paves the way for the women to sue Qatar Airways. (EPA Images pic) SYDNEY : A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha won a court victory today that paves the way for them to sue the airline. In an incident that sparked international outrage, Qatari authorities pulled women off 10 planes in Doha in 2020 and forced them to take invasive gynaecological exams. Authorities were hunting for the mother of a newborn found abandoned in an airport bathroom. Five Australian women caught up in the ordeal lodged legal action against Qatar Airways, claiming they were assaulted and falsely imprisoned. Australia's federal court last year ruled they could not directly sue the airline. But that decision was reversed today on appeal, with three federal court judges stating the case should be heard at trial. Australia's government cited the incident as a reason to block Qatar Airways from operating more flights into the country. Qatar's then prime minister, Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, at the time offered his 'sincerest apologies for what some female travellers went through'.
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- SBS Australia
Australian women given green light to sue Qatar Airways over alleged invasive strip searches
Several Australian women allegedly forced to submit to invasive strip searches at Doha's Hamad airport have been given the go-ahead by the federal court to sue Qatar Airways after a "long and stressful struggle". The five women, who cannot be legally named, were among hundreds of women alleged to have been forcibly removed from aircraft at Doha on 2 October 2020 as officials searched for the mother of a newborn found in a bathroom at the terminal. Taken off planes by armed guards, many allege they were forced to conduct non-consensual gynaecological or intimate physical examinations. One passenger was forced to undergo a strip search while holding her five-month-old son, the lawsuit claims. Another, who is elderly and legally blind, was directed out of the aircraft but was not subject to a search. The women's lawyer, Damian Sturzaker, said his clients were relieved with their win after "a very long and stressful struggle to bring this to court". "Unfortunately, the case against the state of Qatar was unsuccessful. However this has always been an issue against the airline," he said outside court. "We've now got an opportunity to have a full hearing with all of [the women's] evidence coming out and, in those circumstances, we're very very pleased with the outcome today." The women are seeking compensation for mental stress, for alleged assault and for the alleged false imprisonment during the airport incident nearly five years ago. They claim the airline and the airport operator were negligent and breached their duty of care to passengers who were forced off the plane and subjected to searches. The women's lawyer, Damian Sturzaker, said they were "very pleased with the outcome" after a "long and stressful struggle". Source: AAP / Biancha De Marchi A judge previously dismissed the women's claims against Qatar Airways as having no prospect of success because the searches didn't occur when disembarking or embarking the plane. However, the Full Court determined on Thursday there was "no sufficiently high degree of certainty" that was the case and ruled it is an issue that should be decided at trial. Chief Justice Debra Mortimer, Justice Angus Stewart, and Justice Stephen Stellios upheld the primary ruling that the women could not sue the QCAA because it has immunity as an entity of a foreign state. Qatar Airways was ordered to pay the legal bill accrued by the women during the appeal. The court battle between the two parties is not expected to be heard this year. Outside the court, Sturzaker said he was confident in his steadfast clients' case against the airline and the airport operator. "They always would have liked to see a resolution to the matter, but if that can't be achieved, then of course the matter will go to hearing," he said.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- RNZ News
Women win right to sue Qatar Airways over strip searches before Sydney-bound flight
By Victoria Pengilley The women were hauled off a Qatar Airways flight bound for Sydney. Photo: Hemis via AFP Five women who were subjected to invasive strip searches at Doha airport have won the right to pursue legal action against Qatar Airways and the airport operator. In October 2020, more than a dozen women were hauled off a Qatar Airways flight to Sydney and forced to undergo physical examinations in an ambulance on the tarmac without consent, following the discovery of a newborn baby in a toilet cubicle at Hamad International Airport. The women said they were ordered off the plane into an ambulance with a nurse. "She told me to pull my pants down and that I needed to examine my vagina," one woman said at the time. "I said, 'I'm not doing that' and she did not explain anything to me. She just kept saying, 'We need to see it, we need to see it'." The women had hoped to sue Qatar Airways for damages over "unlawful physical contact", and the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) and airport operations company MATAR for assault and false imprisonment. In February, Federal Court Justice John Halley dismissed the case against the airline and QCAA, finding the alleged assaults did not happen on board the Qatar Airways plane and were not conducted by any employee of the airline. The women appealed to the Full Federal Court, arguing the searches took place in the process of disembarking the aircraft and that the airline should be held liable. On Thursday, the Full Federal Court ruled Justice Halley was wrong when he dismissed the women's claims. "There is no sufficiently high degree of certainty that what happened to the appellants in the ambulance could not ultimately be found to have been in 'the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking'," Justice Angus Stewart said. "It is therefore not an issue apt to be decided at the stage of summary dismissal." The court also found MATAR's application for the case against it to be set aside should have been dismissed. "It is also an error to conclude at this stage of the proceeding that MATAR's duty of care cannot possibly extend to the circumstances in and around the ambulance," Justice Stewart told the court. Qatar Airways and MATAR have been ordered to pay the costs of the appeal. The Full Federal Court dismissed the women's appeal against the QCAA on the basis that the proceeding did not concern activities in managing a commercial airport. Damian Sturzaker from Marque Lawyers, who is representing the women, said they were pleased with the decision. "This has always been an issue about the airline," he said outside court. "The women have always tried to resolve this matter with Qatar Airways … they would have always liked to see a resolution to the matter. "You imagine a group of five women bringing a case against a state entity that has defended this matter very staunchly from the beginning, it's been an enormous exercise." Wolfgang Babeck, a lawyer on the same flight as the women and who initially represented them, said the experience had been distressing for them. "The attitude that has been displayed by the country of Qatar is not proper for a country that wants to be recognised for world standards," Dr Babeck said. "It is appalling the women had to go through this stress to be heard." - ABC
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Australian women win right to sue Qatar Airways after forced strip-searches
Five Australian women who say they were pulled from a Qatar Airways flight by armed guards and strip-searched have won the right to sue the airline, after a court on Thursday overturned an earlier decision to throw out the case. Women on 10 Qatar Airways flights, including 13 Australians, were subjected to invasive examinations to see if they had recently given birth after a newborn baby was found abandoned at Doha's Hamad Airport in October 2020. The incident made headlines around the world, sparked outrage in Australia and strained diplomatic ties with Qatar. A group of five women on a Sydney-bound flight launched legal proceedings in 2022 against Qatar Airways, the operator of Doha Airport MATAR, and Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority. They brought claims under the Montreal Convention, which covers airline liability, as well as negligence, assault and false imprisonment. The women sought damages for the impact on their mental health, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from the 'unlawful physical contact.' After being escorted off their flight by armed Qatari authorities, some women claimed they were made to take off their underwear and subjected to non-consensual gynecological inspections by a nurse in ambulances on the tarmac. Federal Court Justice John Halley dismissed the claims against Qatar Airways last year, finding they had no reasonable prospect of success, and that Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority amounted to a foreign state immune from Australian law. On Thursday, the full Federal Court overturned the ruling on Qatar Airways saying the issue was too complex to be dismissed summarily. 'Whether or not the claims come within the scope of (the Montreal Convention) is a matter of some complexity,' the summary judgment said. 'It is therefore not an issue apt to be decided at the stage of summary dismissal.' The judgement allows the women to continue their lawsuit against Qatar Airways and MATAR. Both companies were ordered to pay the costs of the appeal. 'Our clients endured a traumatic experience on that night in Doha, and they deserve to have their day in court and compensation for their suffering,' said Damian Sturzaker, the lawyer from Marque Lawyers representing the women. 'We will continue to support them as the case continues in the Federal Court.'
