Justice For Manuel: A man detained in Qatar for being LGBT+

Manuel was entrapped by local police during a fake Grindr date and is being held in prison without access to critical medical care.

Manuel Guerrero Aviña was arrested in Qatar on February 4, 2024, after being entrapped by local police who created a fake dating profile on Grindr. They lured him into a meeting and detained him. He’s been held in prison ever since. 


Manuel’s family and local activists in Mexico say that Manuel has been enduring unfair treatment due to his sexual orientation. He has been threatened, isolated, deprived of food and sufficient water, forced to sign documents in Arabic without a translator, and is being forced to identify other members of the LGBT+ community. Even worse, he has been denied access to antiretroviral medicines he needs to be able to live with HIV, which constitutes an act of torture and puts his life at risk.


This is not an isolated incident. Manuel’s story is a dark reminder of the hunting down and arrests of LGBT+ people taking place in Qatar. This includes a minimum of 20 cases of LGBT Qataris that have faced similar treatment since the summer of 2023. 


It’s yet more proof of why we must take action immediately and demand that Qatar guarantee Manuel’s safety, freedom, and immediate access to health care. We should also demand an end for this pattern of hunt and abuse directed towards the LGBT community. 


#QatarFreeManuel

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To Director of the Department of Security Affairs, Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Al Atiyya Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force Qatari Ambassador to Mexico, Mohammed Alkuwari Qatari Ambassador to the UK, Yousef Ali Al-Khater:

Manuel Guerrero’s story has sparked international outrage as it’s clear that Qatari officials continue their barbaric crackdown on the LGBT+ community. 


Manuel is just one of the latest victims. 


On February 4, 2024, Manuel was entrapped by local police who also implanted “powder substance” at the scene. Manuel has been in prison ever since. Manuel is also living with HIV and has been denied access to his critical medications - a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. 


According to Manuel’s own family, he has also been forced to identify other LGBT+ contacts within Qatar, forced to witness beatings and torture of other prisoners, threatened, isolated, and deprived of food and sufficient water – all because of his sexual orientation. 


Authorities now say that he must wait a month for trial, where we will likely face deportation from the country. To go a month without proper HIV treatment would leave Manuel with a death sentence hanging over his head. 


Manuel deserves to be treated fairly and to have his health, security and freedom guaranteed. That’s why we are joining the international community in demanding the following: 


Manuel must immediately be guaranteed access to antiretroviral medications to treat his HIV; 
Qatari officials must guarantee the safety and security of Manuel while in custody; 
Qatari officials must investigate all the abuses and potentially illegal acts committed against Manuel by the police;
Qatari officials must guarantee free and unlimited access to Manuel from consular staff.


0people have signed
Goal: 30,000