NYC College Student Freed From Dubai Days After Receiving 1-Year Prison Sentence For Touching Security Guard’s Arm

Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos

NYC College Student Freed From Dubai Days After Receiving 1-Year Prison Sentence For Touching Security Guard’s Arm

If you plan on visiting Dubai make sure you brush up on its rules and regulations.

Earlier this week news broke that a New York college student named Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos was sentenced to a year in a Dubai prison for touching an airport security guard’s arm.

The advocacy group Detained in Dubai — an organization that offers legal support to foreigners detained in the United Arab Emirates — released a statement yesterday (Oct. 3) confirming Elizabeth was finally sent home after a “hellish 5 months.”

In part, the statement said,

“Elizabeth was falsely accused of assaulting and insulting a customs official when she was stripped and humiliated upon entering the desert city during a transit stop.”

According to reports, in July the 21-year-old Lehman College student traveled to Istanbul with a friend for vacation following back surgery and the death of her father. On their trip home to the US they had a 10-hour layover and decided to have a brief visit to Dubai.

While being checked by airport security, Elizabeth was reportedly instructed to remove her doctor-mandated brace. Elizabeth said that after she removed the brace the security agents refused to assist her in putting it back on — a process that typically requires two people.

As Elizabeth leaned over to ask her friend to come help she “gently touched” one of the security personnel’s arm.

The situation spiraled from there, with officials informing Elizabeth she’d be detained for “touching the female customs officer.”

Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos

Elizabeth then had to remain in Dubai for months as she waited for a judge to rule on the matter. In August, she was ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 AED (about $2,700 US) before being allowed to return home. However, after prosecutors appealed the ruling she was sentenced to one year in prison.

Thankfully, the verdict was overturned and Elizabeth was freed.

What are your thoughts on the entire situation? Let us know in the comments!

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