Manuel Guerrero is a British/Mexican gentleman who was arrested for being queer in Qatar, and then, he is being denied HIV medicines
A dual Mexican and American national has been detained by Qatari regulators after being caught in a Grindr sting, according to Manuel’s relatives.
Grindr is the nation’s largest social network app for gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.
Manuel Guerrero, British/Mexican man arrested for being gay in Qatar (Photo: EFE)Manuel Guerrero, a 44-year-old Qatar Airways worker, has been jailed since February 4 after his arrest in the capital Doha.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, where it can be punished with imprisonment. The Gulf state earns a dreadful rating of 7 out of 100 for LGBTQ+ rights in Equaldex’s global ranking.
Guerrero’s brother Enrique claims that Guerrero is a victim of entrapment while using a fake profile on Grindr.
According to “LGBT Nation,” Guerrero claims that he was lured to a location in Doha where he was promised that he would meet various gay men. Instead, officers were waiting to arrest him.
Guerrero’s family claims that Qatari authorities planted a fourth ounce of methamphetamine in his apartment at the time of his arrest.
Guerrero, who is HIV-positive, says he’s been deprived of HIV medications and subjected to “psychological torture.”
A committee was established to verify Guerrero’s claim that he “has been forced to sign papers in Arabic without the assistance of a translator” and that he has been denied the right to a lawyer. They claim he’s been a victim of “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.”
Denial of Guerrero’s antiretroviral drugs, they say, amounts to “an act of torture and puts his life at risk.”
According to Enrique Guerrero, his brother has been forced to reveal other members of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar to authorities, as well.
It’s unclear when consular officials for the U.K. and Mexico were informed of Guerrero’s arrest. Displeased with British officials’ progress in securing Guerrero’s release, his family is appealing to Mexico for assistance. However, the Mexican Embassy in Doha stated in a communication that U.K. diplomats were in charge of the negotiations over his release due to Guerrero’s status as a documented British resident of Qatar.
Mexico’s foreign ministry pledged to “do everything within the capacity of the Mexican state to protect Manuel’s rights, his dignity, and his access to necessary health treatments.”
The British Foreign Office would only state, “We are supporting his family by providing consular assistance to a British man who is detained in Qatar.”
