A new chapter is written this week in the case of Manuel Guerrero, the man of Mexican citizenship arrested last February in Qatar for being homosexual.
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However, Manuel’s family, through the social networks of #QatarMustFreeManuel, the campaign they created to report the case, clarified that That information is imprecise and that the case has not been closed, so Manuel cannot leave Qatar yet.
In its statement this Tuesday, the SRE affirms that Manuel Guerrero, who also has British nationality, received this Tuesday a sentence of six months in prison, but that after paying a fine of about 10,000 Qatari riyals (that is, about $2,746) he could return to Mexico without going to jail..
Manuel Guerrero, Mexican detained in Qatar for his sexual orientation.
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And adds: “The legal representative of Mr. Guerrero Aviña will identify legal options so that his departure from Qatar occurs as soon as possible, after he carries out the necessary procedures with his employer regarding his employment situation and settles other matters”.
This newspaper contacted Manuel’s family and made several clarifications about the case, later presented in a statement to the public and the media.
First of all, they warn that The SRE statement was issued without consulting Manuel Guerrero or his family and that, in that sense, the information shared by the Mexican authorities is imprecise.
Furthermore, they clarify that the process has not concluded. “Manuel has 15 days to appeal the sentence while the Qatari prosecutor’s office has 30 days to do the same in the second instance, with the intention of aggravating the sentence. If Manuel decides to appeal, he will require financial support to do so, since Qatar does not provide a public defender,” the statement added.
Manuel Guerrero campaign statement.
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The #QatarMustFreeManuel statement points out that, “contrary to what the SRE communicated, Manuel will not be able to leave Qatar yet, since the sentence is not final.”
It is expected that The team accompanying Manuel will soon report the measures they will take in response to this development in the case.
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The Mexican citizen spent almost a month in jail, where he reported that he had to sign papers whose content he did not know, they made him go more than a day without consuming water and he lacked access to his treatment for most of the time because he was a person who lives with HIV.
The case has aroused the interest of activists, who created a campaign to draw the attention of the Government of Mexico, which initially refused to intervene because Guerrero had registered in Qatar as a British citizen. However, the SRE finally agreed to intervene.
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Manuel Guerrero was arrested in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on February 4 after attending an appointment arranged through an application. His brother Enrique speaks with EL TIEMPO from Mexico City about the case and denounces the negligence of the Qatari authorities in the process against Manuel, who lives with HIV and has not been able to continue with his treatment.
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