An ex-Qatar Airways flight attendant says he was fired and deported after police found he was wearing tinted moisturizer, then accused him of being a sex worker
PASCAL PAVANI/AFP via Getty Images
- Gilbert Ignatius was celebrating his 32nd birthday in Doha, Qatar when he was detained by police officers, per the i.
- They found he was wearing tinted moisturizer and accused him of being a sex worker.
- Qatar Airways took the flight attendant's passport, and a company representative drove him to the border.
A former Qatar Airways flight attendant told British newspaper the I that he was fired and deported after police accused him of being a sex worker amid a crackdown on LGBTQ+ people.
Gilbert Ignatius moved from Indonesia to work for the Qatari flag carrier in 2016. In May this year, he was celebrating his 32nd birthday in a Doha hotel when two officers from the Criminal Investigation Department spoke to him, the i reported.
Ignatius said the police officers wiped his and his friend's face and found they were wearing tinted moisturizer.
He told the publication he was taken to a police station where, police then insinuated he was a sex worker, asking intrusive questions about him and his friend.
And Ignatius said he twice asked the police to speak to the Indonesian embassy, but they replied: "You have no rights. This is Qatar."
During the interrogation, the police found a photo of Ignatius at Bangkok Pride, and questioned how he could afford a Hermes bag and belt, per the i. The flight attendant explained that the money came from his parents who are business owners in Indonesia.
According to the i, Ignatius was then forced to sign a confession in Arabic, which he didn't understand.
On the following day, Qatar Airways held Ignatius' passport and told him he was grounded, according to the newspaper.
A few weeks later, a representative for the airline drove Ignatius and his friend, who also worked for Qatar Airways, to a border post near Saudi Arabia, per the i.
The i reported that their passports were handed over to the police, they were given three days to pack up their belongings, and told: "You are deported."
Qatar Airways did not respond to two requests for comment from Business Insider, and did not provide a statement to the i for its story.
This month, Qatar Airways appointed a new CEO to take over from the outspoken Akbar Al Baker, who once said a woman couldn't do his job.