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

• Gilbert Ignatius reportedly said he was celebrating his birthday in Doha, Qatar, when he was detained.
• They found he was wearing tinted moisturizer and accused him of being a sex worker, he added.

A former Qatar Airways flight attendant told the 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, he was celebrating his 32nd birthday in a Doha hotel when two officers from the Criminal Investigation Department spoke with 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 insinuated he was a sex worker, asking intrusive questions about him and his friend.

Ignatius said he twice asked to speak with the Indonesian Embassy but that the police replied: "You have no rights. This is Qatar."

During the interrogation, the police found a photo of Ignatius at a Bangkok Pride event and questioned how he could afford a Hermès bag and belt, the I said. The flight attendant said that the money came from his parents, who are business owners in Indonesia.

The I said 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, the I reported.

The I said that their passports were handed over to the police, they were given three days to pack up their belongings, and they were 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.