A British-Mexican gay man who was jailed in Qatar after being caught in a Grindr sting operation has been released.
Manuel Guerrero Aviña’s ordeal began in February 2024, when the 44-year-old Qatar Airways manager was caught up in a “honey trap operation” carried out by Qatari police.
According to his family, police contacted Guerrero using a fake Grindr profile, inviting him to meet up with others from the city’s LGBTQ community. On February 4, Guerrero invited someone he’d been chatting with to his Doha apartment, but was confronted by police in the lobby and detained.
Police alleged that Guerrero was in possession of methamphetamine and sought to prosecute him under the country’s anti-drug laws. Guerrero’s family has consistently maintained since his arrest that the methamphetamine was planted on him and that he was “pressured” into confessing to the possession charges. British newspapers have reported that the family claims he was tortured while in police custody. mirror.
At a June hearing, Guerrero was found guilty of illegal drug possession and given a fine of 2,100 euros ($2,307), a six-month suspended prison sentence and deportation.
However, he remained in custody while he appealed the sentence. Rejected next month.
Yesterday, August 14, Guerrero was released and left the country.
Mexico’s foreign ministry told the BBC that British and Mexican diplomats, who have been campaigning for Guerrero’s release, accompanied him to the airport, where he boarded a flight to the UK.
statement Post to X The head of the Manuel Guerrero Committee, which also advocated for his release, said Guerrero was planning to travel to Britain to receive the HIV treatment he was denied while in detention. He plans to stay in Britain for a few days before returning to Mexico.
Manuel now flies to London with freedom and dignity.
We thank you all for your tireless support in this fight for justice. There is no doubt that “solidarity is human kindness.” https://t.co/jlMDSXL1fL pic.twitter.com/A7Ob83BCmK
— #QatarMustFreeManuel (@QatarFreeManuel) August 12, 2024
The committee congratulated Guerrero on his freedom from “the claws of the homophobic state of Qatar” and thanked Mexican and British government officials, as well as the broader LGBTQ community, for their support.
“Manuel and his family thank you for your tireless support in this symbolic fight against injustice and homophobia and for the protection of human rights for all people,” the committee said.
James Lynch, co-director of Fair Square and a former British diplomat in Qatar, called Guerrero’s experience a “horrific ordeal.”
“I do not underestimate how much of a strain this experience has had on him,” Lynch told the BBC. “In particular, he was subjected to a grossly unfair trial about which UN experts expressed serious concerns, and he was deprived of his HIV medication in prison. We hope that he will be able to find the time and space for rest and recovery in the coming weeks and months.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
