DUBAI, UAE: Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, a New York business arts student, found herself in a harrowing ordeal when a routine layover in Dubai turned into a months-long nightmare.
The 21-year-old Lehman College student, who was traveling with a friend, was detained during a ten-hour layover at Dubai International Airport on July 14, leading to her eventual imprisonment.
What led to Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos' detainment?
De Los Santos had recently undergone surgery and was required to wear a medical waist binder with underwiring around the clock. When airport security became alert to the brace, she was taken to a private room for a strip search.
Feeling "violated" and semi-naked, De Los Santos sought assistance from a female customs officer by "gently" touching her arm to get the brace back on herself. This action was later deemed as "assault" and an "insult" by the female officers, allegations that De Los Santos vehemently denied.
Initially, De Los Santos was cleared to continue her journey but was subsequently forbidden to travel home. In a shocking turn of events, she was sentenced to a year behind bars, despite having paid a hefty AED 10,000 ($2,722) fine. Although she was ordered to pay the fine on August 24, customs officials appealed the sentence, leading to prolonged uncertainty and legal battles.
During her ordeal, De Los Santos had to shoulder substantial expenses, including the cost of accommodation in the expensive nation of Dubai and legal fees, which reportedly amounted to $50,000. She moved from one hotel to another, awaiting court hearings that eventually led to her sentencing.
'Dubai is a dangerous place to visit'
As of now, it remains uncertain where De Los Santos is being held, but she fears she may end up in the notorious Al Awir prison and may not be allowed to leave the country, contrary to earlier promises, according to the CEO of Detained in Dubai, Radha Stirling.
"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'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."
She added, "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," per Daily Mail.
The advocacy organization Detained in Dubai has been actively working on her behalf, making urgent representations and calling for safeguards to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. De Los Santos is slated to appear in court again on October 24.
