Hamad International Airport Abuse Report

I was pregnant and traveling with my two children when our airline was delayed. We were told that we would need to spend the night and catch our next flight the following day.
When we went through immigration, the immigration officer did not speak English. She repeatedly asked us why we did not speak Arabic. A man they called the “captain” was then brought in and told us to leave the counter. We were denied entry.

What happened next was frightening and traumatic.

My children were separated from me, and I was accused of assaulting an officer. I explained repeatedly that I had not touched anyone or said anything inappropriate. Despite explaining that I did not understand Arabic, I was made to sign statements written in Arabic. I was told that if I signed, I would be reunited with my children. I trusted what they told me because I was desperate to be with my children.

That turned out not to be true.

Instead, I was taken to jail. I was denied medication and a phone call. I was separated from my children and had no way of knowing what was happening to them.

I was eventually taken to court. The judge appeared surprised to learn that I had children with me. We were released that same day, but we were kept in jail for another day and night because, as we were told, Qatar Airways did not want to pay for our hotel and food.

We were finally released on 8/11 at approximately 6:00 p.m. We then spent another 30 minutes sitting at the airport before we were able to continue our journey.

The treatment we experienced was deeply traumatic. I was pregnant, traveling with children, and in transit. I did not damage anything, assault anyone, or intentionally cause trouble. Yet I was detained for approximately three days, yelled at, separated from my children, and subjected to a search that involved being made to undress. I was also kept awake throughout much of those three days and nights.

I am sharing this because I want people to know what happened to us and how deeply it affected us—not only during those days, but even long afterward.

It is extremely distressing to be treated this way while traveling through an international airport. It is especially disturbing to be expected to understand or communicate in Arabic when the officials dealing with us knew that we did not speak the language.

What happened to my children and me was frightening, humiliating, and inhumane.

I also believe that the way our side of the story was handled afterward raises serious concerns. It felt as though the police and immigration authorities worked together to hide or minimize what happened to us rather than properly listening to our account.

I am sharing my experience so that other travelers, especially families traveling with children, understand what happened to us and can make informed decisions.

No family should have to experience what we experienced.