An American couple, Matthew and Grace Huang, was prevented by Qatar authorities from leaving the country on Sunday despite their being acquitted by a local court over the death of their 8-year-old adopted daughter.

The continued hold order on them led Matthew to complain to Fox News that the U.S. government appears not to be doing anything to help them leave the Middle Eastern kingdom and they have become tired of waiting for help.

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However, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that while the couple is stranded at the Hamad International Airport in Doha, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiya on Sunday night to convince Qatar to allow them to leave.

But it seems even his efforts have not worked yet, admitted Kerry, who cited court documents during his call to Khalid that the Huang's innocence over the death of their adopted daughter, Gloria, is clear.

The reason behind their deep desire to leave is to be with their two adopted sons whom they have not seen for a long time. The Huangs have been in Qatar for two years. They moved to the county in 2012 as part of Matthew's work for an engineering company involved with Qatar's preparation for the World Cup 2022 hosting.

Gloria was suffering from a chronic eating disorder, which the Huangs believe is linked to her having the medical condition giardia when they adopted her. Patients suffering from giardia, a parasitic condition, are at the risk of their body developing long-term impairment to absorb nutrients from food.

Because of her refusal to eat for days, Gloria collapsed on January 14, 2013, while at home. She subsequently died while confined at a hospital in Doha, which caused Qatari officials to think foul play was involved in Gloria's case. They later accused the Huangs of depriving Gloria of water and food.

While the couple were under trial for murder, the two adopted boys were placed in an orphanage temporarily but are now staying in the U.S. with the couple's relatives. A judge found them guilty of child endangerment and gave them three year prison term in March 2014.

On Sunday, an appeals court reversed the lower court's decision and allowed the Huangs to leave.

Besides Kerry's intervention, several advocacy groups are assisting the couple by providing free legal service. One of the groups, the California Innocence Project, believes the charges were because of racial prejudice by Qatari officials since the couple are of Asian origin, while their adopted children are Africans.

Tagsmatthew huang, Qatar, adopted children, John Kerry