Gay British Man in Qatar: Crisis with Grindr Leads to Arrest and Health Concerns

The family of a gay British man of Mexican origin, Manuel Guerrero Avina, who is being held by authorities in Qatar, said he was seduced through the dating app Grindr.

A person named “Gio” had communicated with Manuel through the internet, and the two agreed to meet when Manuel went to the meeting place, he did not find Gio, but he found the police waiting for him, who arrested him. drug charges – according to what Enrique, Manuel’s brother, said badly.

Manuel suffers from HIV infection, and all his regular medication has now run out, according to his family, who are calling on the British government to intervene to return him to his home country to receive treatment.

Human Rights Watch described Manuel’s experience in prison as “horrendous”, saying that the trial under Manuel’s control was “marred by legal violations.” Other human rights groups expressed their concern about this issue to the BBC.

For their part, the Qatari authorities insist that Manuel is being treated with “respect and dignity.”

At first glance, Gyu looks like thousands of other men who use dating apps around the world.

The BBC accessed Guo’s account through the Grinder app and found him full of selfies in which he showed off his abs. Karaoke, soccer, and Netflix are on his list of interests.

Gu also has the same account on the Tinder application, where his identity could be verified using facial recognition technology.

Enrique says that his brother exchanged phone numbers with that person, and that he invited him to his apartment in the Qatari capital, Doha.

But when Manuel went down to the lobby of the building to meet Guo, he did not find the latter, but surprised Qatari police officers, who handcuffed Manuel and arrested him, according to an account his brother

The law in Qatar criminalises homosexuality, but Manuel – who works for an airline – has lived a “normal life” for the past seven years, and is not has faced any problems with the authorities, according to what his family says.

Qatari authorities claim that Manuel, 44 years old, was arrested last February for having “contraband items” on his clothes and in his apartment, for no other reason than celebration behind his arrest.

The authorities in Qatar say that Manuel admitted to possessing prohibited drugs, saying that he was “subject to a drug test and was found to be using prohibited substances, especially stimulants amphetamine and methamphetamine, at the time of his arrest. “

But his brother, Enrique, says that Manuel had not taken any drugs, and that a small amount of methamphetamine was placed in his possession, and he then had to accept what he had.

The BBC was unable to independently verify the allegations made by Manuel and his family, apart from the fact that many of the allegations related to the way Manuel was treated after his arrest largely behind closed doors and under the eyes of a few witnesses. .

But Manuel’s family provided a record of previous incidents and reports about the treatment of homosexuals (within the LGBT community) in Qatar, and the behavior of the Qatari police towards them.

The family identified others who had similar experiences to Manuel’s.

While in police custody, Manuel claims that he saw others “on their backs” by officers, and that he was in imminent danger if he did not sign several legal documents.

Manuel told his family that these documents were in Arabic, which he did not know, and that he had no access to a translator or legal counsel.

Enrique says that when his brother Manuel told prison officials about his AIDS illness, they moved him to solitary confinement and withheld his medication from time to time in an effort to pressure him. asked him to give them information about other gay people – but Manuel refused.

Enrique told the BBC that his brother was once questioned.

The UK’s National AIDS Trust says withholding medication in prison is “morally unacceptable” and would adversely affect Manuel’s health.

The charity is calling on the UK government to intervene and bring Manuel back so he can receive appropriate treatment.

For his part, Qatari authorities told the BBC that Manuel was treated with “respect and dignity in prison”.

Manuel was told that he would be sentenced to between six months and three years in prison for possessing and using narcotic drugs.

But now, after spending 42 days in a Qatari detention center, Manuel has been temporarily released, where he is staying with friends while he waits to appear before the court.

Manuel’s passport has been confiscated – and his temporary exemption means he is banned from traveling abroad.

At Amnesty International, Middle East affairs researcher Dana Ahmed says the way Manuel was treated in prison and during his initial trial sessions afterwards “raises fears that Manuel may have been targeted because of his sexual orientation, and that he could be tortured. to disclose information to… Authorities about people belonging to the LGBT community in Qatar.”

Manuel’s family told the BBC that his usual treatment prescribed by British doctors had run out since mid-April, and that Manuel will now have to undergo further treatment by the Qatari authorities.

Before his arrest, Manuel was taking antiretroviral drugs, which he had to take while on trips to the United Kingdom and Mexico. These drugs help to keep HIV/AIDS under control and also mean that it cannot be transmitted to other people.

In a letter sent to the British Foreign Office, asking it to intervene, the National AIDS Fund explained that simply delaying the medication beyond the scheduled time in prison would be enough for the body of the encourage patients to resist the substance of this medicine and therefore it would become more effective, which would have a negative effect on health.

The British Foreign Office responded by saying they were “supporting Britain in Qatar” and were “in touch with his family” – without saying more.

But the BBC saw a letter in which Foreign Secretary David Cameron told a group of MPs concerned about Manuel that the British government was taking his health seriously.

Cameron assured these MPs that he was following the case “closely” – but at the same time made it clear that the UK could not interfere in the legal affairs of another country.

The US State Department’s latest report on human rights in Qatar says there was “legal discrimination and practice against LGBTQ people” in 2023.

The report states that “the government has not made efforts to address potential discrimination, and has not enacted anti-discrimination laws that would better protect LGBT people who are targeted on the basis of their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression.

The treatment of the LGBT community in Qatar was highlighted when the Gulf nation hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

At the time, Qatari authorities said that “everyone is welcome” – but reports spread that LGBT people were “kidnapped and under attack,” according to Qatari activist doctor Nasser Mohammed, an advocate for gay rights.