Why a US Student remains detained for four months following a 10-hour layover in Dubai and will she face jail time?
Dubai International Airport has spiraled into a harrowing four-month ordeal, resulting from an altercation that led to an American student's placement on the UAE's no-fly list.
A Prolonged Ordeal
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, a 21-year-old American student, found herself embroiled in a lengthy legal nightmare during a layover at Dubai International Airport. Her journey involved transferring through the UAE after a holiday in Turkey, but an altercation with customs officials transformed her brief layover into an enduring legal ordeal.
As a consequence of extended court appeals, De Los Santos remains unable to return home to New York. Advocates for the detained student express concerns that she may even face potential jail time.
According to a press release from the rights advocates Detained in Dubai, De Los Santos, and her travel companion opted to spend their long layover in the glamorous Emirati travel hub instead of taking connecting flights through Paris Charles de Gaulle.
De Los Santos's expectations of a modern and futuristic city were swiftly dashed upon arrival in Dubai.
An Incident at the Airport
Trouble arose when airport screening detected that De Los Santos was wearing a surgical «waist trainer» corset, equipped with underwiring. Consequently, she was directed to a private room for additional screening, where female airport personnel instructed her to remove the corset. De Los Santos maintained that she was wearing it on medical advice following recent surgery and expressed feeling «violated» by the experience.
During this screening process, the traveler was accused of «assaulting and insulting» Dubai airport staff. De Los Santos vehemently denied these allegations, explaining that she merely
