This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.

Aviña’s family, along with LGBTQ+ rights advocates worldwide, launched a campaign for his return, which finally succeeded this week.

A British gay man, who was jailed in Qatar after being entrapped by the police, has finally been allowed to leave by Qatari authorities and has returned to the United Kingdom after enduring months of imprisonment in inhumane conditions.

Manuel Guerrero Aviña, a dual British-Mexican citizen, was arrested in February 2024 in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. Aviña, a former employee of Qatar Airways, was convicted of drug possession in what has been described as a “honey trap.”

Aviña revealed that he had responded to fake messages on Grindr, which were actually sent by the police.

Aviña explained that he was lured to a location in Doha after responding to a Grindr profile, which he believed would lead to a meeting with other gay men. However, the police were waiting to arrest him. During the arrest, authorities claimed they found methamphetamine in his apartment, though Aviña insists the drugs were planted.

He was jailed on February 4 and, in June, was handed a suspended six-month prison sentence and a fine by the Al Sadd Criminal Court in Doha.

While in jail, Aviña, who is HIV-positive, was deprived of the antiretroviral medication he needed. He was also forced to sign documents written in Arabic, a language he does not speak, without the assistance of a translator. Additionally, he was coerced into identifying which contacts in his phone were his sexual partners and endured what he described as “psychological torture.”

Aviña’s family and LGBTQ+ rights advocates around the world launched a campaign for his release, which was finally successful this week.

The X account @QatarFreeManuel announced yesterday, “At this moment, Manuel flies free and dignified towards London! We are grateful for the unwavering support in this fight for justice. There is no doubt that ‘solidarity is the tenderness of peoples.'”

A statement posted on the account reads, “Manuel and his family thank you for your tireless support in this emblematic struggle against injustice, homophobia, and in favor of human rights for all people. But, as the saying goes, the struggle goes on, it is not over, and it will not end until there is justice for all. Manuel’s case, and all the cases we have defended, teach us that only organization, solidarity, and courage can change this world and its injustices.”

Aviña himself spoke about his release, stating, “Although I welcome the fact that I can leave the country, I still condemn the unfair trial I have been subjected to and the torture and ill-treatment I endured during my preliminary detention.”

He added, “I urge the UK and Mexican governments to raise concerns with the relevant Qatari authorities about the unfair trial and the violations of due process.”

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