New York City College Student Freed after Year-Long Prison Sentence in Dubai

A New York City college student, Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, has been freed after serving a year-long prison sentence in Dubai. The 21-year-old Lehman College student expressed her relief and joy at returning home to the United States after what she described as a "hellish 5 months."

The case began in July when Los Santos and a friend were on their way back to the US from a vacation in Istanbul. They had a layover in Dubai and decided to explore the city during their 10-hour stay. Little did they know that their decision would lead to months of distress and legal battles.

Upon passing through airport security, Los Santos was asked to remove a waist compression suit that she was required to wear due to recent surgery. What followed was a series of events that left her feeling violated and humiliated. Female airport staff removed the compression suit in a rough manner, causing pain to her still-healing surgical wounds. When Los Santos requested assistance in putting the suit back on, the women laughed at her and refused to help.

Feeling desperate and uncomfortable, Los Santos leaned over to ask her friend for help. In the process, she made contact with one of the female workers. This minor physical contact was later used as the basis for a complaint against Los Santos, leading to her detainment and the subsequent legal proceedings.

Los Santos spent the next few months moving between different hotels as she awaited her court hearings. In August, a judge ordered her to pay a fine of 10,000 AED ($2,700 US) and allowed her to go home. However, prosecutors appealed the ruling, resulting in Los Santos being sentenced to a year in prison.

The advocacy group Detained in Dubai, which had been supporting Los Santos throughout her ordeal, played a crucial role in securing her release. The group released a statement on Tuesday, confirming that her sentence had been commuted. CEO Radha Stirling expressed gratitude that Los Santos was on her way home but emphasized that it was not a happy ending, as she should have been home much earlier.

Stirling also called for the Dubai government to address the practice of extorting tourists through fines and payments, stating that the justice system is routinely misused. She urged the US State Department to update its travel warnings to reflect this issue.

Los Santos's case is not an isolated incident. Tierra Young Allen, a 29-year-old American, was also trapped in Dubai for several months earlier this year after a dispute with a rental car clerk. She was only allowed to leave after paying a significant amount of money to lift the travel ban against her.

The US State Department has stated that they are aware of Los Santos's detention and her subsequent release. However, they have yet to comment on the specific details of the case. Lehman College, where Los Santos is a student, has not provided any official statement regarding her status.

Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos's return to the US marks the end of a traumatic and unjust experience in Dubai. The story highlights the need for increased awareness and caution when traveling to certain countries and the importance of advocating for the rights and safety of travelers abroad.