A 21-year-old American college student has been sentenced to one year in a Dubai prison following accusations of assaulting and insulting airport staff during a layover, according to legal experts.
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos was denied boarding on July 15 while transiting through Dubai International Airport.
She faced unpleasant and offensive searches during her journey from Istanbul to New York via the airport.
“Elizabeth’s experience at Dubai International Airport has prompted an organization – Detained in Dubai, to call for increased travel warnings for U.S. citizens,” said Radha Stirling, the organization’s founder.
Initially intending to transit for six hours, Elizabeth has been stranded in Dubai for months, incurring $50,000 in expenses and legal fees. She has been informed of a one-year prison sentence but hopes to leave once she can arrange a flight out of the UAE.
Polanco De Los Santos, traveling with a friend to Turkey, had a 10-hour layover in the UAE. She expressed surprise at the experience, describing Dubai as less modern and futuristic than expected, according to Detained in Dubai.
During airport security, officials asked her to remove a doctor-mandated waist-training brace. Feeling violated after a rough removal by female security officers, she attempted to put it back on and was accused of touching an officer, leading to her detention.
Unable to return to New York since the incident, Elizabeth’s apartment lease has expired, and she has missed classes at Lehman College.
An August 24 court ruling imposed a fine, but customs officials have appealed, with a new hearing scheduled for October 24.
There is a possibility of jail time, as indicated by Detained in Dubai, which assisted another American, Tierra Young Allen, previously detained in similar circumstances.
