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• Gilbert Ignatius told the I that he was celebrating his birthday in Doha, Qatar, when he was detained.
• The police found he was wearing tinted moisturizer and accused him of being a sex worker, he added.
• The I reported that Qatar Airways took the flight attendant's passport and drove him to the border.

A former Qatar Airways flight attendant told the British newspaper the I that he was fired and deported after the 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, the I reported. He told the outlet that in May, he was celebrating his 32nd birthday in a Doha hotel when two officers from the Criminal Investigation Department spoke with him.

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 reported. The flight attendant said the money came from his parents, who were business owners in Indonesia.

The I reported Ignatius was then forced to sign a confession in Arabic, which he didn't understand.

On the following day, the newspaper reported, Qatar Airways held Ignatius' passport and told him he was grounded.

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 report said.

The I reported 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.

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