{"id":267425,"date":"2025-07-24T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T12:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=267425"},"modified":"2025-07-24T15:16:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T13:16:47","slug":"strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/","title":{"rendered":"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways<\/a> flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women were among those subjected to invasive gynaecological exams in 2020 after Qatari authorities removed female passengers from 10 planes while searching for the mother of a newborn baby found abandoned in an airport bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five of the Australian women later filed legal action against Qatar Airways, alleging assault and false imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Australia\u2019s Federal Court initially ruled they could not sue the airline directly, that decision was overturned on appeal Thursday. A panel of three judges found that the case should proceed to trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident sparked international outrage and led the Australian government to cite the treatment of the women as a key reason for rejecting Qatar Airways\u2019 bid to expand flights into the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Qatar\u2019s then-prime minister, Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, issued a public apology, expressing his “sincerest apologies for what some female travellers went through.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":267427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"67","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"1","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"AFP","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"2025-07-24T13:32:26","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7912,8004,9251,7909,8161],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-267425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-court","tag-international-news","tag-qatar-airways","tag-recommended","tag-weslander"],"yoast_head":"\nWomen strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways | Weslander<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Weslander\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-24T12:10:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-24T13:16:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"AFP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amy L\u00e9-Semper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amy L\u00e9-Semper\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5d0dd470150b88102082a604a97af068\"},\"headline\":\"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-24T12:10:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-24T13:16:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":185,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Court\",\"International News\",\"qatar airways\",\"Recommended\",\"Weslander\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/\",\"name\":\"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways | Weslander\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-24T12:10:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-24T13:16:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"A Qatar Airways Airbus A330-202 aircraft. (Photo by Omar Haj Kadour \\\/ AFP)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/weslander-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/weslander-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Weslander\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/weslander_koerant\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Weslander has been the main source of reliable news for the West Coast (Weskus) for 53 years, earning the trust of generations of readers. With a strong community focus, the newspaper serves as a vital link between residents, local businesses, and public services. It\u2019s a go-to platform for hyper-local stories \u2014 the kind of news that often goes unnoticed by national outlets but plays a crucial role in everyday life. From school achievements and local heroes to municipal matters and regional developments, Weslander provides a voice to smaller communities, helping to connect people, raise awareness, and highlight the issues that matter most to them.\",\"email\":\"weslander@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"022 713 1251\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5d0dd470150b88102082a604a97af068\",\"name\":\"Amy L\u00e9-Semper\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85d7da1e9035f4c69c744742587a6f3754153942797b935f0115bb25910fc027?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85d7da1e9035f4c69c744742587a6f3754153942797b935f0115bb25910fc027?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/85d7da1e9035f4c69c744742587a6f3754153942797b935f0115bb25910fc027?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amy L\u00e9-Semper\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/author\\\/amy-lesemper\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways | Weslander","description":"A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways","og_description":"A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/","og_site_name":"Weslander","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/","article_published_time":"2025-07-24T12:10:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-24T13:16:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"AFP","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amy L\u00e9-Semper","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/"},"author":{"name":"Amy L\u00e9-Semper","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/person\/5d0dd470150b88102082a604a97af068"},"headline":"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways","datePublished":"2025-07-24T12:10:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-24T13:16:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/"},"wordCount":185,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg","keywords":["Court","International News","qatar airways","Recommended","Weslander"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/","name":"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways | Weslander","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-24T12:10:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-24T13:16:47+00:00","description":"A group of Australian women strip-searched after boarding a Qatar Airways flight in Doha secured a court victory on Thursday, clearing the way for them to sue the airline.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg","width":1800,"height":1200,"caption":"A Qatar Airways Airbus A330-202 aircraft. (Photo by Omar Haj Kadour \/ AFP)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/strip-searched-women-win-right-to-sue-qatar-airways\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Women strip-searched at airport win right to sue Qatar Airways"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/","name":"Weslander","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization","name":"Weslander","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/weslander-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/weslander-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Weslander"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/weslander_koerant\/"],"description":"Weslander has been the main source of reliable news for the West Coast (Weskus) for 53 years, earning the trust of generations of readers. With a strong community focus, the newspaper serves as a vital link between residents, local businesses, and public services. It\u2019s a go-to platform for hyper-local stories \u2014 the kind of news that often goes unnoticed by national outlets but plays a crucial role in everyday life. From school achievements and local heroes to municipal matters and regional developments, Weslander provides a voice to smaller communities, helping to connect people, raise awareness, and highlight the issues that matter most to them.","email":"weslander@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"022 713 1251","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/person\/5d0dd470150b88102082a604a97af068","name":"Amy L\u00e9-Semper","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85d7da1e9035f4c69c744742587a6f3754153942797b935f0115bb25910fc027?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85d7da1e9035f4c69c744742587a6f3754153942797b935f0115bb25910fc027?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85d7da1e9035f4c69c744742587a6f3754153942797b935f0115bb25910fc027?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amy L\u00e9-Semper"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/author\/amy-lesemper\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20241223__36RB2BY__v1__MidRes__SyriaQatarPoliticsDiplomacyConflict.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54383,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/local-police-weed-out-dagga-dealers-20221212-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":267425,"position":0},"title":"Local police weed out \u2018dagga dealers\u2019","author":"Weslander","date":"19 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In three separate drug related cases on the West Coast, four alleged drug dealers were apprehended after their large stashes of dagga were found by the police.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b70ab90ad1ba4da093bec35532a9e35c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":269959,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/court-clears-parents-to-sue-kruger-national-park-after-leopard-kills-toddler\/","url_meta":{"origin":267425,"position":1},"title":"Court clears parents to sue Kruger National Park after leopard kills toddler","author":"Novus Media","date":"19 September 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The parents of a boy mauled to death by a leopard in the Kruger National Park in 2019 have been granted permission to proceed with their damages claim.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Leopard","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Leopard_87971.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Leopard_87971.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Leopard_87971.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Leopard_87971.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Leopard_87971.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54896,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/two-arrested-after-tip-off-leads-langebaan-police-to-drug-house-20221110\/","url_meta":{"origin":267425,"position":2},"title":"Two arrested after tip-off leads Langebaan police to drug house","author":"Weslander","date":"11 November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The illicit drug trade causing incidents of crime in communities saw the arrests of suspects during crime prevention initiatives by members of the South African Police Service.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1decaeabb23e481db7dad13c43750339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1decaeabb23e481db7dad13c43750339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1decaeabb23e481db7dad13c43750339.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1decaeabb23e481db7dad13c43750339.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":264501,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/new-bok-blood-for-epic-barbarian-clash-in-cape-town\/","url_meta":{"origin":267425,"position":3},"title":"New Bok blood for epic Barbarian clash in Cape Town","author":"Novus Media","date":"24 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has taken a bold step toward building squad depth by naming four uncapped players in his team to face the Barbarians in the historic first-ever meeting between these sides on South African soil. The selection for Saturday\u2019s Qatar Airways Cup fixture at Cape Town Stadium sees\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Captain Siya Kolisi will lead a starting lineup featuring a blend of experience and fresh talent. Photo by ROMAIN","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Siya-Kolisi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Siya-Kolisi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Siya-Kolisi.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Siya-Kolisi.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Siya-Kolisi.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Siya-Kolisi.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54641,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/group-marches-to-court-to-foster-awareness-of-domestic-abuse-20221128\/","url_meta":{"origin":267425,"position":4},"title":"Group marches to court to foster awareness of domestic abuse","author":"Weslander","date":"28 November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Magistrate Jeff Jantjies spoke to a passionate crowd about domestic violence after they had marched to the Darling court against injustices in their community.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0413914ef69f4e1cbfa5a0b56fc2672b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0413914ef69f4e1cbfa5a0b56fc2672b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0413914ef69f4e1cbfa5a0b56fc2672b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0413914ef69f4e1cbfa5a0b56fc2672b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0413914ef69f4e1cbfa5a0b56fc2672b.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54578,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/group-marches-to-court-to-foster-awareness-of-domestic-abuse-20221128-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":267425,"position":5},"title":"Group marches to court to foster awareness of domestic abuse","author":"Weslander","date":"5 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Magistrate Jeff Jantjies spoke to a passionate crowd about domestic violence after they had marched to the Darling court against injustices in their community.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f0e7ed9ce77a4bbf957e8c568c0a7948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f0e7ed9ce77a4bbf957e8c568c0a7948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f0e7ed9ce77a4bbf957e8c568c0a7948.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f0e7ed9ce77a4bbf957e8c568c0a7948.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f0e7ed9ce77a4bbf957e8c568c0a7948.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"NovaNews","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267425"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=267425"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=267425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}