"I Never Thought I'd Get Home," The Gay Man Imprisoned In Qatar Says
A British-Mexican man who was convicted of drug offenses in Qatar after being jailed there for six months told BBC News he “never thought I’d return home.”.
In his first interview after leaving the nation, Manuel Guerrero Aviña, who alleges he was targeted because he is gay, cautioned LGBT people to “be careful when visiting Qatar,” saying, “What happened to me could happen to anyone.”
He was detained in February after arranging to meet a man on the gay dating app Grindr, who turned out to be an undercover police officer.
Human-rights groups have expressed alarm over Manuel’s confinement and termed his trial “grossly unfair,” but Qatari officials believe he was detained for narcotics offenses.
The 45-year-old former British Airways employee now wants to focus on getting back to work and spending time with his family.
Following his imprisonment, Manuel made international news, and his family launched a campaign to liberate him.
At a June court hearing, he was found guilty of carrying an illegal substance, sentenced to six months in prison with a suspended sentence, fined £2,100, and deported.
After returning to the UK, he has given a firsthand account of his 44-day stay in a Qatari prison and subsequent imprisonment in the country.
“There were so many times I was terrified,” Manuel stated.
“I thought I’d never be able to leave. I was afraid I’d get lost in the system.”
“I was very afraid.
“I never thought I’d return home safely.”
Sexual partners
Manuel has long claimed that police officers planted drugs in his flat and that his arrest was motivated solely by his gay orientation.
“I absolutely deny the drugs charges,” he told BBC News.
“Throughout the entire interrogation, everything they asked me about was about my sexual partners, my sexual orientation, whether I’ve been having sex, who I have had sex with and things like that.”If it had been a drug case, they would have questioned me about drugs.”
‘Being discreet.‘
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, and human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concerns about the persecution of LGBT people in the country.
However, Manuel claimed that he had lived there for seven years without encountering any problems with the police.
“There seemed to be an unwritten rule that whatever went on in private was OK,” he told me.
“I thought I was being compliant by being discreet [in public] and following the rules, but I was just trying to live a little part of my life behind closed doors.”
“I thought it was fine as long as it wasn’t in public.”
According to BBC News, on February 4, Manuel messaged a man on dating apps Grindr and Tinder and asked him to his flat.
After going to meet the man in his building’s lobby, Manuel claims he was approached by police officers, who detained him before searching his flat and eventually detaining him.
Manuel claims that during his time in prison, he observed people being whipped and was forced to live in confined quarters after refusing to unlock his phone or reveal the names and phone numbers of other LGBT Qataris.
“They were trying to force me to confess and unlock my phone, but I couldn’t put other people from the gay community at risk,” he told me.
“Why would I put someone else through that pain?”
BBC News obtained a confession written in Arabic, which Manuel claims he was compelled to sign without the presence of a lawyer or a translation.
We can’t independently verify all of his assertions.
Many of the allegations about his treatment following his detention revolve around time spent behind closed doors with few witnesses.
The Guerrero Aviña family has revealed a comprehensive timeline of events, and prior reports on the abuse of LGBT persons and police officers in Qatar imply others have had similar experiences.
According to a Qatari official, Manuel was treated with “dignity and respect throughout his detention” and condemned “following an investigation and trial.”.
He was arrested “for possessing an illegal substance,” and “no other factors were considered when making the arrest.”.
“Mr. Aviña and his family have made numerous false allegations in an attempt to generate public sympathy and support for his case,” stated a government spokesperson.
“A person’s beliefs, background, or orientation do not exempt them from the law, especially when facing serious charges related to drug possession.“Qatar has strict rules restricting the possession of illegal narcotics, and the authorities are constantly attempting to address the problem.
“As Mr. Aviña himself has acknowledged, he lived in Qatar without any issues for seven years.”
However, James Lynch, a former British diplomat in Qatar and co-director of the human rights charity FairSquare, said the trial was “grossly unfair” and compared it to other cases he had dealt with.
“Manuel was clearly targeted because he was LGBT, living in Qatar, and living his life,” according to Lynch.
“Several cases of people being arrested and interrogated without a lawyer have occurred in Qatar over the past three years. The country’s justice system requires reform.”
‘Holding hands’
Manuel, who has an immunodeficiency infection, received support from HIV groups in the United Kingdom amid reports that he had not been provided regular access to his medication, which keeps the infection under control.
He disclosed: “I had to beg on a daily basis to prison officers to try and get access to my medication.”It was a very tough time for me without access to my medication because you’re concerned about the impacts on your health, which also affects your mental health.
Manuel reports that now that he has returned to the UK, he is receiving medical attention and gradually becoming more capable of being his actual self.
“It’s not about seeing symbols everywhere, like rainbows or flags,” he told me.
“It’s more that it feels fantastic to be able to reclaim some of the minor things you don’t realize you’ve lost until you find them.
“Things like seeing people holding hands in the street, being able to be affectionate with my friends without thinking about how we’re interacting, being able to do that without it being behind closed doors.”
