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Appointment at Doha Airport (archive image)
Photo: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP
The incident had caused a stir internationally.
Several women from a total of ten aircraft had undergone compulsory gynecological examinations at the end of last year.
The occasion was the discovery of a baby wrapped in plastic in an airport toilet.
Now a group of seven women want to sue Qatar.
The affected passengers were planning legal steps to "send a message to the Qatari authorities," said Sydney-based lawyer Damian Sturzaker of the AFP news agency.
Women "cannot be treated that way."
The lawsuits should therefore be filed in Australia in the coming weeks.
They are directed against the Qatari aviation authority, Hama International Airport, the airline Qatar Airways and the country's government.
There were also 13 Australians among the women affected.
"The group of women suffered tremendous agony on the evening in question, which was now a little over a year ago, and continues to suffer from the consequences of what happened," said Sturzaker.
They are now demanding a formal apology, compensation and protection for future passengers.
Qatar is an ultra-conservative Muslim monarchy where sex and births outside of marriage can be punished with imprisonment.
With a view to the soccer world championship in 2022 in particular, the Gulf emirate feared lasting damage to its image.
The authorities announced investigations and the head of government apologized.
However, Sturzaker complained that the women concerned had not been informed of improvements in airport procedures.
Your attempts to reach an arbitration were unsuccessful.
They also wanted to draw attention to their case before the World Cup.
Visitors to the tournament "should be aware that (...) these events happened and could repeat themselves at any time," said the lawyer.
mmq / AFP
