Australian women suing Qatar authorities for being strip-searched at Doha airport

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A group of Australian women who were strip-searched and physically examined at Doha airport are filing a lawsuit against the authorities in Qatar.</p>
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The women were forced to get off the plane by armed guards and checked for whether they had given birth to a child after a baby was found in a bin at the airport in October 2020, The incident that had sparked an international outrage.</p>
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The women are seeking damages and allege assault, battery, trespass and false imprisonment by the Qatari government, Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority and Qatar Airways, according to a BBC report.</p>
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Damian Sturzaker, a lawyer for seven of the women, told the BBC they had been "met with a wall of silence" despite trying to engage with the Qatari authorities.</p>
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They want a formal apology from Qatar and the airport to change its procedures to make sure the incident does not happen again, Mr Sturzaker said.</p>
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Qatar later apologised and one airport official was handed a suspended jail sentence. But the women say their cases have since been ignored.</p>
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The examinations lasted about five minutes before they were escorted back to their flight. Several women reported the incident to police after landing in Australia.</p>
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The ugly incident has surfaced to haunt Qatar at a time when it is drawing up plans to host the 2022 football World Cup with a view to making its mark at the world stage. </p>