A college student from New York City has been jailed for a year by the United Arab Emirates for allegedly "assaulting and insulting" an airport security guard during a flight connection in Dubai over the summer. Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, 21, who attends Lehman College in New York City, was traveling from Istanbul to New York with a friend.
She and her friend were detained during a ten-hour layover at Dubai International Airport on July 14. Santos allegedly tapped an airport security officer on the arm during a strip search as they checked her medical waist binder and left her half-naked.
Pleasure Trip Becomes Nightmare
What initially seemed like a brief stop in the UAE turned into a prolonged and distressing ordeal for Santos. The situation escalated when airport security noticed a brace she was wearing with underwiring.
Santos explained to airport officials that she had undergone recent surgery and was required to wear the surgical brace continuously.
Santos was then taken to a private booth, where female staff removed the compressor from her brace. Santos' mother revealed that the staff members were rough and caused pain to her daughter's healing surgery scars.
Moreover, they also laughed at her and when she requested assistance to put the complex brace back on, they refused her request. "I was feeling uncomfortable and afraid. I felt really violated," Los Santos said.
She then, in an attempt to seek help, gently touched a female customs officer's arm. Shockingly, this led to accusations of "assaulting and insulting" the officers, allegations which Santos vehemently denied.
"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.
The incident happened three months back and Santos was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and forbidden to travel back home on Monday despite paying a fine of AED 10,000 ($2,722).
"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.
"On top of being humiliated and traumatized by airport staff, Elizabeth has suffered months of being forced to stay in an expensive country, pay expensive lawyers and miss out on her university studies."
No Mercy
Following the court's order for De Los Santos to pay the fine on August 24, customs officials contested the sentence, prolonging her distressing experience. She has endured a months-long ordeal, incurring significant expenses of $50,000 for accommodation and legal fees in the expensive nation.
Since mid-July, De Los Santos has been constantly moving from one hotel to another, awaiting court hearings. As of now, her location is unclear, and there are fears that she may be held in the notorious Al Awir prison, contrary to earlier assurances of being allowed to leave the country.
"People could end up detained in the UAE for years on bogus or minor charges and wants to warn Americans Dubai is 'a dangerous place to visit," Stirling said in a press release.
"Elizabeth faced degrading, painful and humiliating searches when she transited through the international hub from Istanbul to New York but the nightmare has not ended," she said, in part.
"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."
De Los Santos is in a state of extreme worry and distress due to her current situation.
"Even if she is allowed to be deported tomorrow, she will remain in prison until then, not knowing whether there will be further delays or whether in fact, she will end up forced to serve the whole sentence."
"This is an extreme situation for a 21 year old to go through," she added.
Radha Stirling highlighted that in the UAE, a mere allegation can be sufficient to secure a conviction, regardless of the presence of substantial evidence of wrongdoing.
She cited the case of TikTok influencer Tierra Young Allen, who was detained in the UAE for three months earlier this year for allegedly shouting" at a car park employee. This underlines the concerning legal circumstances individuals can face in the country.
