This one's hard to digest, people. I cannot understand how someone gets a year in prison for gently touching a security guard's arm.
A New York City college student was sentenced to one year behind bars by the United Arab Emirates for allegedly "assaulting and insulting" an airport security guard during a flight connection in Dubai over the summer, according to reports.
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, 21, a student at Lehman College in the Bronx, was handed her sentence Monday after spending nearly three months effectively trapped in Dubai with a travel ban issued against her, according to the advocacy group Detained in Dubai.
"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," said Detained in Dubai founder Radha Stirling.
And just why was Elizabeth detained?
Well, she had doctor's orders to wear a waist compressor after a recent surgery, so when she went through security she was singled out and asked to enter a private booth for a search. The female security guard removed the waist compressor, but was unwilling to help Elizabeth put it back on, which would've required a second set of hands. Security even laughed at her for this.
Here's where it gets interesting:
Los Santos leaned past a security guard blocking her way and called out for her friend to come and help her.
"I gently touched her arm to guide her out of the way, then desperately started crying to my friend for help," she told Detained in Dubai.
Los Santos was then detained in a room for hours as the security guard she touched filed a complaint against her, and wasn't allowed to leave until she signed a form written in Arabic.
When she returned to the airport later to catch her flight to New York, she was informed of the travel ban filed against her and was forced to remain in the country until the charges against her were heard in court.
FOR GENTLY TOUCHING A SECURITY GUARD!
OUT OF CONTROL!
Let's say it wasn't a "gentle" touch. Let's say she yanked the guard's arm because she was trying to call to her friend. Still, does that warrant a year in an Arabian Gulf jail?
What's more, after a judge granted her the opportunity to pay $2,700 to lift her travel ban and get the heck out of there, Dubai prosecutors appealed the ruling and sentenced her to a year in prison.
Seriously, this is completely ridiculous. But it's pretty par for the course in the UAE. They've got some crazy laws and even crazier ways to interpret them.
Worst part about this whole ordeal: Los Santos and her friend had originally planned to layover in Paris, not Dubai. They had seen Istanbul, but wanted to catch a glimpse of the famous Dubai as well, so they changed their itinerary. Well, that completely backfired, and I'm sure neither of them will ever go back.
Hopefully we can get this figured out and have Elizabeth home in good time.
This girl needs to get back to the states and back to school.
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