The whole world was shocked.
A few days after the global scandal caused by the establishment of forced gynecological examinations undergone by several women at the Doha airport, following the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby, the government of Qatar made its mea culpa Wednesday.
He says he “regrets” the violation of individual freedoms and the distress inflicted on these travelers.
“Even if the purpose of these urgently decided examinations was to prevent the escape of the perpetrators of a horrible crime, the State of Qatar regrets the distress or the violation of individual freedoms that this action may have caused to travelers. ", Indicates a statement published on a government site.
On October 2, agents at Doha Airport disembarked female passengers from a flight to Sydney, then forcing them to undergo gynecological examinations to try to determine if any of them had. recently gave birth, after the discovery of a newborn baby abandoned in the toilets of the terminal.
Australian authorities later said they learned that several other flights were also affected.
Thirteen Australians took these exams
The Prime Minister of Qatar Khaled ben Khalifa Al-Thani assured in a statement that a "complete and transparent" investigation will be carried out.
The results of the investigation will be "shared with our international partners", continued the head of government.
He added that Qatar was "committed to ensuring the safety and comfort of all passengers passing through the country".
The incident sparked a diplomatic row between Australia and Doha, with Canberra strongly protesting the treatment of its nationals.
On Wednesday, it emerged that the number of affected planes was greater than initially assumed.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne told parliament that women "on a total of ten planes" had been subjected to forced gynecological examinations, a situation she described as "gravely disturbing" and "Rude".
She added that 18 women, including thirteen Australians, were affected and other "foreign nationals".
According to AFP information, a French woman who was on board one of these planes is among the victims.
The Australian minister did not provide the destinations of the other flights concerned.
Qatar's image tarnished
Australian officials have said Canberra is working with other countries to jointly voice their concern over the abuses.
But they refused to name these countries to respect the privacy of victims.
Ms Payne admitted that she had not spoken to her Qatari counterpart, specifying that she wanted to "see the report" on this incident beforehand, due within the week.
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This scandal could be a blow to the efforts made by the rich Gulf country to improve its image before the World Cup-2022.
A small country very rich in gas, Qatar has acquired international prestige through investments in the media, sport and culture.
In 2022, the emirate will be the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup.
With its ultramodern fleet and luxurious services, the national carrier Qatar Airways is one of the most prestigious in the world and its reputation could also suffer from the incident, believes Mark Gell, founder of Reputation Edge, a consulting firm in picture.
Childbirth outside marriage punishable by imprisonment
In its press release, the Qatari government specifies that "the newborn child covered with a plastic bag was found hidden behind a trash can" and denounces "what amounts to an attempted murder".
The press release explains that an "immediate search for the parents has been initiated, including on board flights in which the newborn baby was found" of female sex.
The decision to perform forced gynecological examinations is justified by the desire "to prevent the perpetrators of this horrible crime from escaping".
In Qatar, officially, sexual relations and childbirth outside marriage are punishable by prison terms.
The conservative Muslim monarchy still struggles to silence criticism of violations of rights and freedoms.
