Didn't Enjoy Being Rebuffed

UAE Royal To Be Tried For Striking Man He Thought Gay

sheikflah.jpeg
The United Arab Emirates took another gay hit today. Just yesterday we wrote on the disturbing tale of how the federation’s government allegedly attempted to cover up a French teen’s rape. Today, SLOG passes on this 365Gay story:

Swiss officials announced Wednesday they will try the brother of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates for allegedly assaulting an American man who rebuffed his sexual advances in a Geneva hotel.

Sheikh Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, 37, is accused of attacking Silvano Orsi, 39, with a belt in the posh La Reserve hotel four years ago.

Orsi said he was sipping fruit juice while chatting in English and Italian with a Saudi friend in the bar at the hotel when a passer-by dressed in casual shirt and jeans asked where he was from. The stranger offered him something to drink and Orsi declined, saying he didn’t drink alcohol, yet the man soon sent over a bottle of Dom Perignon. Orsi said he politely waved his thanks…

A quarter-hour later, Orsi alleged, the man suddenly came up behind him, jostled his glasses, sat in his lap and tried to kiss and fondle him. When Orsi protested, he maintained the man became violently angry, threw him to the floor, punched and stomped him, smashed his glasses underfoot, then removed his belt and whipped him with the metal buckle.

All the time, Orsi said his attacker was yelling abuse, saying at one point that “no stupid American or Italian is going to tell me what to do!”

A Swiss jury, however, may sentence the Sheikh to two years in prison.

[Note: Our original headline named Orsi as a gay. In fact, Orsi’s a proud heterosexual. He does, however, tell us he fully supports gay rights. We’ll be getting more on the story next week. Keep your pretty peepers peeled!]

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