American couple held in Qatar speaks: ‘We are being kidnapped’

An American couple feels trapped and abandoned by the U.S. government as they await a possible death sentence following the death of their daughter in the oil-rich country of Qatar. Grace and Matthew Huang were accused of starving their adopted daughter Gloria to death almost two years ago. Since the tragic night of Gloria’s passing, the Huangs have been jailed, separated from their other two children. Their lives are in the hands of a foreign government whose judicial process is mysterious and terrifying to them. With the death penalty on the table, Grace Huang told Yahoo News’s Katie Couric that she believes the U.S. government must act before their Nov. 30 sentencing.

We want them to get us home before the 30th. On the 30th, we do not know what this court will do.

Grace Huang to Yahoo News

This spring, the couple stood trial in Doha after Qatari authorities accused the them of being human traffickers who starved their daughter in order to sell her organs on the black market. On March 27, a judge sentenced the Huangs to three years in prison. The couple immediately appealed, and so did the prosecution. Grace says prosecutors continue to ask for the death penalty in their case. The Huangs also say the prosecution continues to rely on discredited evidence. The U.S. government has pressed Qatar to lift the travel ban the Huangs face, but the couple says that’s not enough.

Middle East