Gay British-Mexican man convicted in Qatar following police-led Grindr sting
A gay British-Mexican man who was arrested in Qatar earlier this year following an alleged police-led Grindr sting has received a suspended six-month prison sentence, alongside a fine of £2,100.
The decision was delivered on Wednesday, June 4, at Al Sadd Criminal Court in the capital city, Doha.According to reports, Manuel Guerrero Aviña was found guilty of being in possession of an illegal substance, and Qatari officials maintain that the 44-year-old’s arrest in February was due to drug offences and “no other factors were taken into account”.
They added that tests, which Amnesty International described as “questionable”, found amphetamine and methamphetamine in his system, but Guerrero Aviña denies having taken any illegal substances.The man’s family claims that drugs were planted in his apartment by police after he was targeted for his sexuality through a “honeytrap operation”.
The airline worker, who had been living in Qatar for seven years without trouble, was reportedly lured to a meeting spot by authorities posing as a man named ‘Gio’ on the gay hookup app Grindr.
