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 dismiss the case.
Women on 10 Qatar Airways flights, including 13 Australians, were subjected to invasive examinations to determine if they had recently given birth. It's after a newborn baby was found abandoned at Doha’s Hamad Airport in October 2020.
The incident drew global headlines, sparked outrage in Australia and strained diplomatic ties with Qatar.
A group of five women on a Sydney-bound flight launched legal action in 2022 against Qatar Airways, Doha Airport operator 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 said they were forced to remove their underwear and subjected to non-consensual gynaecological inspections by a nurse in ambulances on the tarmac.
Federal Court Justice John Halley dismissed the claims against Qatar Airways last year, ruling they had no reasonable prospect of success and that Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority was immune from Australian law.
On Thursday, the full Federal Court overturned the ruling against Qatar Airways, saying the issue was too complex to be summarily dismissed.
“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 decision 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, a lawyer from Marque Lawyers representing the women.
“We will continue to support them as the case continues in the Federal Court.”
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
The 83rd Venice Film Festival has opened on the Lido, bringing Hollywood stars and leading filmmakers together for a programme dominated by war, po...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
A unique architectural monument dating back to the 9th to 12th centuries has been discovered in the village of Gargara, in the Korez village commune in Dangara district in Tajikistan.
Japan and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime have launched a $9.4 million, two-year project across five Afghan provinces to help former poppy-growing families and expand drug prevention and treatment services.
For centuries, Lahore has been shaped by the people, cultures and empires that passed through it. Now, the Pakistani city is preparing to put that rich history before a wider regional audience.
Israel is ready to move Palestinians from Gaza as soon as the U.S. approves, the country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He told a conference hosted by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday that there was “no real solution” for Gaza without migration.
Flights between Central Asia and Russia have faced widespread disruption, with aircraft diverted, turned back or cancelled amid restrictions in Russian airspace and conflicting claims from Moscow and Kyiv over aviation safety.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment