- A U.S. couple was cleared of the death of their adopted child
- Prosecutors in Qatar had accused them of starving the girl to death
- Appellate judge says trial judge failed to properly consider certain testimony
(CNN) -- Qatar has lifted a travel ban against a U.S. couple who were cleared in that Mideast nation in the death of their adopted daughter, meaning they are free to return home, the U.S. ambassador to Qatar said Tuesday.
An appeals judge in Qatar on Sunday cleared Matthew and Grace Huang of starving their adopted daughter to death in 2013 in a case that drew global attention to that country's justice system.
The Huangs were blocked from leaving Qatar on Sunday at Hamad International Airport by immigration officials who confiscated their passports, according to the Doha News agency, citing family spokesman Eric Volz. Diplomatic sources said Monday the departure was delayed due only to legal procedures that take place once people have been cleared of a crime.
On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Dana Smith said a travel ban against the couple was lifted following a motion that was filed Monday, and after talks between Smith and top Qatari officials.
Freed U.S. couple held at Qatar airport 
American couple in Legal limbo in Qatar The Huangs, who were living in Qatar while Matthew Huang worked for an international company that was constructing sites for the 2022 World Cup, were arrested in January 2013 when their 8-year-old daughter Gloria died.
They were charged with starving her to death, convicted in March and sentenced to three years in prison.
The Qatari prosecutor sought to paint Grace and Matthew Huang as inhumane -- alleging they bought their adopted daughter cheaply from her poverty-stricken parents in Africa -- and had threatened to seek human trafficking charges.
The couple spent nearly a year in prison before being freed in November 2013 to await proceedings surrounding an appeal that they filed.
Appellate Judge Abdulrahman al-Sharafi overturned the conviction on Sunday, citing weaknesses in forensic reports and saying the trial judge failed to properly consider testimony from witnesses who said Gloria wasn't deprived.
A report by pathologists hired by the defense, obtained by CNN, stated they found no evidence that tissue samples were taken from Gloria's body after her death, despite the fact Qatari investigators submitted an autopsy report.
Advocates for the Huangs suggested the lab report was fabricated and said their request with the Qatari judiciary for a formal investigation went unanswered.
After the couple's arrest, their two sons, also adopted from Africa, were temporarily placed in a Qatari orphanage. They have since been sent back to the United States to live with Grace Huang's mother.
Journalist Riham Shebl contributed to this report.
For more than 50 years, Bill Cosby has been one of America's leading entertainers: a noted comedian, an Emmy-winning actor and an innovative producer. However, his reputation has been tarnished by allegations of rape. Here's a look at how Cosby, shown here in 2013, has changed through the years: 
Cosby, shown here in 1969, began his career in the nightclubs of Greenwich Village as a standup comedian. His clean-cut style became a career mainstay. 
Cosby first made his name with his comedic storytelling, often based on his childhood experiences. In 2011, SPIN magazine put "To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With" at the top of its "40 Greatest Comedy Albums of All Time" list. Here, Cosby feeds one of his children in the mid-1960s. 
Cosby won three Emmys for his portrayal of Alexander Scott, an Oxford-educated spy who travels undercover as a trainer with his tennis-playing partner, Kelly Robinson (Robert Culp) in "I Spy," which aired on NBC from 1965 to 1968. Cosby was the first African-American to star in an American dramatic series. 
In 1972, Cosby starred in "The New Bill Cosby Show," a variety program. Among his guests was Ray Charles, whose version of "Night Time Is the Right Time" would play such a standout role on "The Cosby Show" years later. 
In 1972, Cosby helped create "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," a Saturday morning TV series that ran for more than a decade. It later became a 2004 live-action film starring Kenan Thompson as Fat Albert. 
Cosby's biggest TV hit, "The Cosby Show," premiered in 1984. Phylicia Rashad played his wife, Clair Huxtable. 
After "The Cosby Show," the star cast about for other projects. Among them was another sitcom, "Cosby," which aired from 1996 to 2000. Cosby played retired airline agent Hilton Lucas. The show also starred T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh. 
President Bill Clinton chats with Cosby and TV correspondent Linda Ellerbee at a 1996 conference on children's television. Cosby, who has a doctorate in education, is a strong believer in using television to send educational messages. 
In 1997, Cosby suffered the loss of his son, Ennis, who was killed on the side of an Los Angeles freeway. Cosby's series' "Little Bill" used the phrase "Hello, friend" -- Ennis' regular greeting -- in tribute to his son. 
Cosby shares a laugh with baseball great Hank Aaron after they both received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a 2002 ceremony. The medal is America's highest civilian award. 
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Cosby embrace at the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Washington's Kennedy Center in 2009. Cosby declined the prize twice before accepting. His mother read Twain to him as a child -- a huge influence on his storytelling. 
Cosby accepts the Marian Anderson Award in 2010 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. 
Cosby speaks at the 20th anniversary of Rev. Al Sharpton's organization, the National Action Network, in 2011. In recent years, Cosby has been outspoken on the subjects of poverty, family and responsibility in the black community, which have earned him both praise and criticism. 
Cosby speaks onstage during the 100th anniversary celebration of the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows supporting the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the American Comedy Fund. The comedian is active in several charitable causes. 
