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Manuel Guerrero Aviña is being forcibly deported from Qatar after he was arrested in February for being gay.
After more than six months in and out of Qatari prison awaiting a sentence, Manuel Guerrero Aviña is returning home.
The British-Mexican dual citizen will soon be deported from Qatar after a judge rejected his appeal, upholding his suspended six-month sentence and fine of 10,000 Qatari riyals (about $2,750) — all for the "crime" of being gay.
"I am deeply disappointed with the outcome of my appeal," Guerrero Aviña said in a statement. "Despite clear evidence of due process violations and human rights abuses during my detention and trial, the Qatari authorities have not provided me justice, and the initial, unjust verdict finding me guilty of crimes I did not commit has been upheld. I continue to state my innocence and maintain that I was accused and convicted unfairly. The charges against me are unfounded, and this situation has been a grave violation of my human rights."
The 44-year-old moved to the country, where homosexuality is illegal, seven years ago for his work. He was detained on February 4 after being entrapped by law enforcement through a fake Grindr profile, according to his family, and was held in jail for nearly two months.
During that time, Qatari authorities subjected Guerrero Aviña to secret nighttime interrogations where they pressured him to name other LGBTQ+ people he had relations with, his family claims. After learning of his HIV status, they allegedly locked him in solitary confinement and refused to administer his medication.
Guerrero Aviña's brother Enrique, who has vocally advocated for his brother's release since his arrest, previously told The Advocatethat Guerrero Aviña "has a lot of traumatic stress because of the torture he suffered." Guerrero Aviña went 38 days without a lawyer or translator while he was detained, according to his brother, and even after he was appointed council, his attorney was not given access to his case files until over two months after his initial detention.
Guerrero Aviña is expected to be able to leave Qatar in the coming weeks, once the fine is paid and the necessary procedures for the deportation process are completed.
"I will now prepare to leave Qatar once the fine is paid. I request the consulates of the United Kingdom and Mexico to help expedite my departure to avoid being trapped in a long deportation process," Guerrero Aviña continued. "I call on the international community to continue advocating for the protection of LGBTQ+ rights in countries where such injustices occur."
