Nightmare at the airport: American student (21) gets a year in prison in Dubai

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On July 14, a student from New York was on her way to Istanbul with a colleague, with a stopover in Dubai. Elizabeth Polcano De Los Santos, 21, wore a doctor-prescribed waist support, a type of corset, because she had recently undergone surgery.

When airport officials asked her to remove the prop, Polcano De Los Santos was led to a separate room with female security officers.

There, the women helped her take off the support, which had many safety pins but was very rough, Polcano De Los Santos said in a press release from the organization ‘Detained in Dubai’. Plus, they just laughed when she asked to put the elaborate garment back on.

“I was scared”

“I felt uncomfortable and scared,” Polcano De Los Santos said, according to the statement. When the staff ignored her request, she tried to call her colleague to help her get dressed. According to his own statements, Polcano De Los Santos hit a police officer on the arm at the exit, who blocked her way so she could call her friend past her.

Now the situation escalated: Polcano De Los Santos was taken into custody for “touching the customs officer” and held for hours. She was also not allowed to travel further. Moreover, she was not allowed to leave the country because the procedure had to be completed first. Since then she has been stuck in Dubai and travels from hotel to hotel.

It is unclear whether she will have to serve a prison sentence

Now she is facing worse things than being stuck in hotels: a court has now sentenced her to a year in prison. Radha Stirling, director of Detained In Dubai, an organization that helps foreigners with procedures in Dubai, said there may be hope for the young American.

She was told she only had to stay in jail until she booked a flight from the United Arab Emirates. It is unclear where she is currently being held. “This is an extreme situation for a 21-year-old.” (neo)

Source: Blick