Qatar Airways avoids Australian lawsuit over women's invasive examinations
Five Australian women who were strip-searched and invasively examined at Doha airport have failed in their bid to sue Qatar Airways.
They and other women were ordered off a flight and checked for whether they had given birth after a baby was found abandoned in an airport bin in 2020.
The incident sparked public outrage and it was condemned by several nations.
An Australian court found the state-owned airline could not be prosecuted under the laws governing global travel.
The five women filed a claim in the Federal Court of Australia in 2021, seeking damages over the alleged “unlawful physical contact” and false imprisonment, which had caused mental health impacts including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Other passengers - including from the UK and New Zealand - were not part of the lawsuit.
