Student who only planned 6hrs in Dubai is jailed for a YEAR after touching security officer’s arm during strip search
A STUDENT has reportedly been jailed for one year in Dubai after touching an airport security officer's arm during a strip search.
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, 21, was only supposed to be at Dubai International Airport for six hours as she waited for a connecting flight back home to New York from Istanbul.
She and a friend had decided to go on holiday after recently losing her 44-year-old dad and undergoing surgery.
They decided to do a layover in Dubai rather than Paris - but during the six-hour stop on July 14, Elizabeth was stopped by security officials because of the underwiring in her medical waist binder.
She told them she had recently had surgery and needed to wear it - but they forced her to remove it in a private room and she was left semi-naked.
Elizabeth was cleared to go following the "degrading and painful" search, but she struggled to get the compressor back on.
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The Lehman College student said she "gently" touched the arm of one of the female security guards as she tried to get them to allow her friend to help her.
But the officers accused Elizabeth of "assaulting and insulting" them, which she has denied.
Elizabeth was kept in a room for several hours as the officer filed a complaint against her.
She signed a form in Arabic and was allowed to leave the airport - but a few hours later she was slapped with a travel ban.
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Elizabeth – who also works as a retail manager in New York – was ordered to pay a 10,000 AED fine (£2,180).
Despite paying the hefty sum – which usually serves as punishment – customs officials appealed and she has now been handed a one-year prison sentence.
Radha Stirling, founder of charity Detained in Dubai which represents people fighting legal action in the UAE, said Elizabeth has also had to fork out thousands of pounds while held up in the country.
She added: "Elizabeth only intended to transit through Dubai for six hours but she’s been there for months on end and has lost $50,000 (£41,000) in expenses and lawyers costs.
"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.
"On top of being humiliated and traumatised 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.
"Is this the kind of transport hub that people would want to choose?"
Elizabeth now fears that she'll be locked up in the notorious Al Awir prison, in Dubai, which activists have criticised for its brutal treatment of inmates.
Radha added: "American citizens need to be aware that Dubai is a dangerous place to visit.
"Any country where a mere unevidenced allegation can result in lengthy imprisonment is an unacceptable choice for tourists and Dubai needs to work hard to stop this kind of legal abuse."
A US Department of State spokesman told The Sun: "The US Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas.
"We are aware of the sentencing of a US citizen, Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, in Dubai.
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"We take seriously our commitment to assist US citizens abroad and are providing all appropriate assistance.
"The Department is in communication with her and her family. We will continue to monitor her case closely. "
