A British-Mexican man is being held in detention in Qatar after police allegedly used a fake dating app profile to arrest and plant drugs on him because of his sexuality.
Former British Airways employee Manuel Guerrero, 44, was arrested on February 4 after police met up with him using the fake profile, according to his brother Enrique.
Guerrero was reportedly then denied access to his HIV medicine once in prison, according to The Times.
Despite being released from jail on March 18, Guerrero has had his passport confiscated and is not able to leave the country.
The drugs are not available in Qatar and Guerrero has reportedly run out of the small amount of medication he had stored in his flat.
Manuel Guerrero, 44, (pictured) was arrested on February 4 after police met up with him using a fake dating profile, according to his brother Enriqu
Guerrero with his brother Enrique. Guerrero is employed with Qatar Airways and has lived in the country for the past seven years
Vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for HIV and Aids, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, said: ‘Stopping and starting the medication has a tendency to cause resistance, which could be making Manuel more ill.
‘It also means his body could produce the HIV virus with immunity so there is a wider public health issue.’
Guerrero is employed with Qatar Airways and has lived in the country for the past seven years.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalised in Qatar under its penal code and sharia.
A Qatari official said: ‘The arrest and subsequent investigation are related solely to the possession and distribution of illegal substances.’
Police deny that Guerrero’s arrest was connected to his sexuality, according to The Times.
Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing Central & Acton, said: ‘I was disturbed to hear of this case and met Manuel’s brother, Enrique, when he was in London this week when he supplied more details about the detainment.’
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘LGBT+ rights are an issue the UK prioritises internationally. Our close ties with Qatar allow us to engage on a range of topics, and we raise human rights issues whenever required and as a matter of principle.’