In a shocking turn of events on his 32nd birthday celebration, Gilbert Ignatius found himself in a distressing ordeal in the capital of Qatar, Doha, which led to his deportation from the country. Here’s the full story.
A Harrowing Experience
Ignatius, a former Qatar Airways flight attendant who relocated from Indonesia in 2016, recounted his harrowing experience to iNews, revealing the actions taken against him for wearing tinted moisturizer.
Fired and Deported
The incident not only resulted in his expulsion from Qatar but also cost him his job at the prestigious airline.
The Incident
Ignatius detailed the encounter, explaining how he and his friends were approached by security officers at a hotel bar, informing them that the Criminal Investigation Department wished to speak with them.
Traces of Tinted Moisturizer
Subsequently, they were taken to a security room, where officers forcefully wiped their faces without consent, revealing traces of tinted moisturizer.
Help from Home
Refusing to surrender their phones and ID cards, Ignatius requested assistance from the Indonesian embassy, only to face threats of imprisonment if he didn’t comply.
Things Took a Turn
The situation escalated as they were taken to a police station for interrogation, an experience Ignatius described as humiliating.
The Degrading Accusations
Officers posed intrusive and degrading questions, accusing them of engaging in prostitution, a charge punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment in Qatar.
The Evidence
The officers cited trivial items like Ignatius’s attire—a Hermes bag and belt—and the tinted moisturizer as supposed “evidence” to support their allegations.
Physically Assaulted
The interrogation reached a shocking low when Ignatius was physically assaulted.
Despite being coerced into signing a document in Arabic, which they couldn’t understand, and having their pictures and fingerprints taken, Ignatius and his friend were eventually sent back home.
Withheld His Passport
However, the nightmare persisted even after they left.
Qatar Airways, his employer, grounded him and withheld his passport.
Forcefully Deported
Weeks later, they were taken to a border post near Saudi Arabia and forcefully deported from Qatar, all without due process or valid reasoning.
The post Gay Qatar Airways Flight Attendant Dismissed and Deported for Wearing Tinted Moisturizer first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / M101Studio. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
