Relatives of a Mexican/British resident of Qatar, reportedly detained for being gay, held a protest outside the British Embassy in Mexico City last weekend.
Manuel Guerrero Aviña, 44, who first arrived in the Middle Eastern nation seven years ago to work for Qatar Airways, was arbitrarily detained on February 4, his brother Enrique told reporters, after demanding the intervention of Mexican and British authorities in this country.
According to reports, Qatari police created a fake profile through the Grindr application inviting Guerrero to meet other men in Doha. Relatives said that after he was arrested in an apartment block, police planted 250 grams of methamphetamine on his person.
Enrique Guerrero said his brother is in poor health, as he lives with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and is being denied his antiretroviral medications.
According to some reports, Guerrero has been subjected to torture and forced to sign documents in Arabic without an interpreter.
Amnesty International has expressed its support for the family and its concern about Guerrero’s arrest and subsequent detention. Multiple reports suggest that Qatari police frequently detain gay people and fabricate drug-related crimes against them.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry has declined to get involved, noting that Guerrero’s case comes under British jurisdiction since he is registered as a citizen of that country with Qatar authorities. Enrique Guerrero’s request to meet last weekend with the British ambassador to Mexico, John Benjamin, was apparently denied, with the embassy explaining that the case is being handled by the British diplomatic mission in Doha.