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Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos’ six-hour layover in Dubai ended up becoming a months-on-end stay in a local prison.

The 21-year-old American college student was sentenced to one year in a Dubai prison after being accused of “assaulting and insulting” airport staff during a layover, according to legal experts.

She was reportedly denied boarding on July 15 while travelling through Dubai International Airport from Istanbul to New York and subjected to unpleasant, humiliating, and offensive searches.

Elizabeth’s experience transiting through Dubai International Airport has left the organisation, Detained in Dubai, calling for increased travel warnings to US citizens, the founder Radha Stirling said in a statement via Blavity.

“Elizabeth only intended to transit through Dubai for six hours, but she’s been there for months on end and has lost $50,000 in expenses and lawyers costs,” she continued. “She’s now been told she has a one-year prison sentence but that if all ‘goes well, she will only be detained until she can book a flight out of the UAE.

The student was travelling to Turkey with a friend and had a 10-hour layover in the United Arab Emirates.

“We thought it would be a more modern and futuristic city, but we were completely wrong,” she said in a press release shared by Detained in Dubai, an organization that assists foreigners in the UAE.

Authorities had instructed her to remove the waist-training brace, a medical device prescribed by her doctor, as she passed through airport security. Though reluctant, she complied and was escorted to a booth where female security officers removed the brace. According to the press release, the officers handled her roughly during the process.

“I felt really violated,” the student said, adding she was “uncomfortable and afraid.”

Polanco De Los Santos tried to put the brace back on, a task that typically requires two people, and asked for assistance. However, the security officers blocked her from leaving. In her attempt to reach out for help, she nudged one of the officers while calling her friend.

“I gently touched her arm to guide her out of the way, then desperately started crying to my friend for help,” the 21-year-old said.

To her horror, although the search came back clear, officials told her she would be detained for “touching the female customs officer.” She was kept for several hours as the officers filed a complaint, accusing Polanco De Los Santos of “assaulting and insulting” them.

Since the incident, her life has become shambles, as she is unable to return to New York. Polanco De Los Santos’ apartment lease has expired, and classes have already resumed at Lehman College, where she is enrolled, according to the Economic Times.

An August 24 court ruling required her to pay an AED10,000 fine ($4,500 or close to R50,000), but customs officials have appealed the decision. A new hearing is scheduled for October 24, and, according to Detained in Dubai, Polanco De Los Santos may face jail time.

The 21-year-old sought help from the same organisation that assisted Tierra Young Allen, another American detained in Dubai for allegedly yelling in public and violating the obscenity law. After spending four months in custody, Allen was eventually released and returned to the US.

Now you know, don’t lay a hand on anyone or raise your voice in the slightest at the Dubai airport.

[source:blavity]