Manuel Guerrero Aviña: ‘I never thought I’d return home’

A British-Mexican man convicted of drug offences in Qatar after being detained there for six months has informed BBC Information he “by no means thought I’d return house”.

In his first interview since leaving the nation, Manuel Guerrero Aviña, who says he was focused as a result of he’s homosexual, warned LGBT folks to “watch out when visiting Qatar”, saying: “What occurred to me may occur to anybody.”

He was arrested in February after arranging to fulfill a person – who he later discovered was an undercover police officer – utilizing homosexual courting app Grindr.

Human-rights teams have raised issues over Manuel’s detention and known as his trial “grossly unfair” – however Qatari officers insist he was arrested due to drug offences.

The 45-year-old former British Airways employee now needs to concentrate on returning to work and spending time together with his household.

Manuel made headlines around the globe following his arrest and his household began a marketing campaign for him to be freed.

At a court hearing in June, he was discovered responsible of possessing an unlawful substance, given a six-month suspended jail sentence, fined £2,100 and was the topic of a deportation order.

After returning to the UK, he has – for the primary time – given a first-hand account of his 44 days in a Qatari jail and subsequent detention within the nation.

“There have been so many occasions I used to be terrified,” Manuel stated.

“I assumed I’d by no means have the ability to depart.

“I assumed I’d get misplaced within the system.

“I used to be actually scared.

“I by no means thought I’d return house safely.”

Manuel has at all times insisted law enforcement officials planted medicine in his flat and says the actual cause for his arrest was his sexuality.

“I completely deny the medicine expenses,” he informed BBC Information.

“All through your complete interrogation, every thing they requested me about was about my sexual companions, my sexual orientation, whether or not I’ve been having intercourse, who I’ve had intercourse with and issues like that.

“If it was only a medicine case, they’d have been asking me about medicine.”

Homosexuality is criminalised in Qatar and human-rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns in regards to the remedy of LGBT folks within the nation.

However Manuel stated he had lived there for seven years with out getting in hassle with police.

“There appeared to be an unwritten rule that no matter went on in personal was OK,” he stated.

“I assumed I used to be being compliant by being discreet when [in public] and following the foundations – however I used to be simply making an attempt to reside a bit little bit of my life behind doorways.

“I assumed it was effective so long as it wasn’t in public.”

BBC News previously reported how, on 4 February, Manuel had been messaging a person on courting apps Grindr and Tinder and invited him to his flat.

After going to fulfill the person within the foyer of his constructing, Manuel says he was as a substitute met by law enforcement officials who handcuffed him earlier than looking out his flat, finally arresting him.

Throughout his time in jail, Manuel says, he witnessed folks being whipped and was moved into cramped situations after refusing to unlock his telephone or disclose the names and telephone numbers of different LGBT folks residing in Qatar.

“They had been making an attempt to drive me to admit and unlock my telephone – however I couldn’t put different folks from the homosexual group in danger,” he stated.

“Why would I put another person via that ache?”

BBC Information has seen a confession, written in Arabic, which Manuel says he was pressured to thumbprint with out the presence of a lawyer or the help of a translator.

We can’t independently confirm all of his claims.

Lots of the accusations about his remedy after his arrest relate to time spent behind closed doorways with few witnesses.

However the Guerrero Aviña household has shared an in depth timeline of occasions – and former reporting on the remedy of LGBT folks and the behaviour of law enforcement officials in Qatar counsel others have had related experiences.

A Qatari official informed BBC Information Manuel had been handled with “dignity and respect all through his detention” and sentenced “following an investigation and trial”.

He had been arrested “for possessing an unlawful substance” and “no different elements had been thought-about when making the arrest”.

“Mr Aviña and his household have made quite a few false allegations in an try to generate public sympathy and help for his case,” the official stated.

“An individual’s beliefs, background or orientation don’t exempt them from the regulation, particularly when dealing with severe expenses associated to drug possession.

“Qatar has stringent legal guidelines governing the possession of unlawful medicine – and the authorities are repeatedly working to fight this problem.

“As Mr Aviña himself has acknowledged, he lived in Qatar with none points for seven years.”

However former British diplomat in Qatar and co-director of human-rights organisation FairSquare James Lynch stated the trial had been “grossly unfair” and likened it to different instances he had handled.

“Manuel was clearly focused as a result of he was LGBT and residing in Qatar and residing his life,” Mr Lynch stated.

“During the last three years, we’ve handled a number of instances of people that’ve been arrested after which interrogated with no lawyer.

“The Qataris must kind out the best way justice is delivered within the nation.”

Manuel, who resides with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was additionally supported by HIV charities within the UK, after claims he had not been given common entry to his medicine, which retains the virus beneath management.

He stated: “I needed to beg every day to jail officers to attempt to get entry to my medicine.

“It was a extremely tough time for me with out entry to my medicine, since you’re nervous in regards to the results in your well being and it additionally has an affect in your psychological well being.”

Now again within the UK, Manuel says, he’s receiving medical consideration and slowly turning into extra capable of be his true self.

“It’s not about seeing symbols in every single place like rainbows or flags,” he stated.

“It’s extra that it feels superb to have the ability to recuperate a number of the small issues that you just don’t realise you’ve misplaced till you will have them again.

“Issues like seeing folks holding palms on the street, having the ability to be affectionate with my mates with out excited about how we’re interacting, having the ability to try this with out it being behind closed doorways.”