
Three days after being acquitted on charges related to the death of their eight-year-old daughter, Grace and Matthew Huang are leaving Qatar.
The American couple’s spokesperson, Eric Volz, tweeted just before 3pm that they were in the departure lounge of Hamad International Airport.
https://twitter.com/EricVolz/status/540112143665070080
He later added that they had been escorted through the airport by US Ambassador Dana Shell Smith and that the couple was aboard the aircraft.
The Huangs’ closely watched case received even more international media attention this week after Volz accused the Qatar government of working to block their departure from Qatar despite their acquittal.
While he initially said a new arrest warrant had been issued, the holdup appeared to be caused by a pre-existing travel ban on the Huangs that – like in other cases of expats involved in legal challenges in Qatar – took several days to lift following the judge’s ruling.
The US couple was arrested in January 2013 after their adopted daughter, Gloria, died. The Ghana-born girl suffered from an eating disorder that caused her to binge on food and then refuse it for several days.
She had not eaten for four days prior to collapsing and being brought to a hospital, where she later died. Matthew Huang later argued that he thought Gloria would come out of her “hunger strike” as she had done before, and appeared healthy in the days leading up to her death.
A judge, however, siding with the prosecutor’s arguments that the parents should have sought medical attention earlier and in March convicted the couple of child endangerment, sentencing them to three years in prison.
They appealed the ruling and were cleared of the charge on Sunday. The judge hearing that case said evidence showed the Huangs were caring parents and pointed to discrepancies in forensic evidence that failed to conclusively determine how Gloria died.
Finally Justice served… happy ending… and I am sure, Gloria will be so happy up there, to see you both free and leaving to the US.
Love the spokesmen tweet, passed immigration but not in the clear yet… Coz any second police jeeps will pull up on the runways with choppers hovering and pick them up again… Boy is the PR agency gonna milk the story… Can’t wait to hear their interviews once they land
For better or worse that’s how the game works. If you wanna play football you play by international rules.
No man don’t get me wrong… Believe me if I was a PR firm representing them I’d the same… Line up half a dozen interviews.. If the story picks on and there is a buzz created put them on prime time news .. One or two talk shows… Gauge public interest… If folks love the story line up a book deal maybe even a short movie… Given they both were financially drained I’m almost confident their PR firm paid they’re business seat tickets … Pretty sure Akbar didn’t give them an upgrade out of the kindness of his heart .. All the best to them and their two kids …
Akbar kindness of his heart
Never thought I would see those words in the same sentence….
Wasn’t there contention about the four days on the previous story?
Looks like they got an upgrade from Qatar Airways too. Hopefully a happy ending to this tale.
Justice delayed, is justice denied — having them free now, after being separated from their children, after spending about a year in jail … it is hard to call that “justice”.
are you serious?! if these two were Qatari everyone would be up in arms about how they got released after their child dies.
I personally think they are innocent (a lot of people think otherwise, and I dont blame them) even so, if it wasn’t delayed I would be suspicious about it.
Finalement. I hope they find peace. What a wonderful Christmas they will now have, together at last.
The Huangs received moral support from many of the people who reside in Qatar…including me. My only hope is that our trust is not misplaced and I hope they too have learnt a valuable lesson…which is … they are not physicians and should any of their other children behave in the manner their little girl did … I hope they will immediately consult a qualified person. This whole episode is heartbreaking and I hope they find closure and forgive themselves for the untimely death of their little one.
SO GLAD YOU ARE FREE!
What a MIRACLE!!! I was so happy when they were found innocent, then so devastated to hear they were blocked at the airport. We have been checking in every few hours to see the latest, and I am SO THRILLED to read this. This brings a tear to my eye. I cannot even imagine the joy they felt to have that plane leave Qatar airspace. FANTASTIC!!
Thank Goodness for the American Ambassador to intervene. If they were some lowly South East Asians they’d be hanged by now.
Update: Huangs to sue their employer – MWH Global – http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ff-1209-qatar-couple-20141209-story.html