Last year we heard the story of Silvano Orsi, an American who claimed while sitting at a hotel bar in 2003 in the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (pictured) — the younger brother of the UAE’s president, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan — tried to pick him up at a hotel bar there, sending over a bottle of Dom Perignon. Orsi says he refused the advances, at which point Al Nahyan came over and began fondling him, then threw him to the ground and began whipping Orsi with his belt. Because that’s how royalty rules, yo. Naturally, Orsi was pissed, and wanted the sheik held accountable. Switzerland took up the cause, putting Al Nahyan on trial, which could’ve sent him to prison for two years. And now, we have an answer.
Al Nahyan will go free.
A Swiss court upheld a lower court’s dismissal of another lower court’s ruling that found Al Nahyan guilty. (The appeals court found that the metal belt buckle Orsi, who previously told us he’s a gay-supporting straight guy, was beat with could not be considered a dangerous weapon. Uh huh.) All Al Nahyan got was a fine worth about $10k; easily payable from an oil-rich UAE bank account.
But Orsi says the fight isn’t over: “We will take this to the next level, to the European Court of Human Rights, because my human rights have been openly violated by Switzerland and the UAE royal sheik who attacked me.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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He tells Queerty: “This last discriminatory ruling basically demonstrates that even in Switzerland, home of the U.N Human Rights Council, an oil-rich Gay Sheikh from Abu Dhabi is afforded the luxury of full and unconscionable impunity, at the expense of a victim’s human rights – and this is done even after the Swiss criminal courts have fully confirmed that this delinquent and coward committed the savage belt attack. I will never digest this and this matter will not just go away. I will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, and the U.S House Human Rights Commission in Washington has also announced an immedaite investigation, in tandem with the UAE Sheikh torture video case. This Gay Sheikh needs to learn to keep his belt and hands in his pants, and not use them to attempt to prey on young men from NY, like a cowardly barbarian.”
And for the record? Shiek Al Nahyan insists he’s a heterosexual.
dgz
QUEERTY: typo; you previously reported the assault took place in Switzerland, not the UAE. (otherwise, the Swiss would have no jurisdiction.)
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though this is a travesty, many courts here in the US would have ruled the same way. Most US courts would consider this to be two charges of “simple assault,” and the fine would’ve been even less.
Jennifer
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc., are full of males like this. They are all on the down low and damn they are sleazy.
Taylor Siluwé
Wow. But you’re right, that’s the way they roll. I hope he wins his case in the end, though I doubt it. I’m still confused whether the assault took place in Switzerland or not. But it it was the UAE, its yet another country where one is crazy to expect to be treated with any sort of civil rights.
OldFAQ
I don’t get it. Why didn’t Orsi just take that belt away from that “Happy Sheik” and then proceed to beat his ass all around the bar? You know, yank that keffiye off and put a few marks & bruises where the kohl doesn’t shine. At lesat that’s how we’d handle this kind of unpleasantness out where I live.
Taylor Siluwé
OLDFAQ: LOL! I agree, that’s how it would have played out here in Jersey, but I doubt it would’ve ended well for him if it took place in the UAE.
michael
Switzerland is one of the most xenophobic and racist countries in Europe. I was in Geneva a couple of years ago and I never saw so many police cars in my life. The TV had public service ads which showed a middle eastern man in traditional clothing sitting in front of a door way like a homeless person. The camera would then show a middle eastern woman in traditional clothing looking very sinister, then the film went to a man, in a business suit and briefcase with lots of corporate logos in the background. The add was trying to educate immigrants on how a real “Swiss” resident dresses and lives like. The people are arrogant and gross, at least the French speaking ones are, but we were warned about that by a friend who works in Switzerland in foreign service. And if your American you are really treated like crap. But I found all you have to do is remind them of all the blood money they stole from the Jews and how their financial “empires” were financed by these funds and they runaway. They are the biggest bunch of cowards and hypocrites on the planet.
Tallskin
Michael – I love how you dumbarses can just dismiss those damned Europeans! Yeah, sock it to them!
But let’s take your rabid little diatribe and change the country shall we? Let us see what we get!
The USA is one of the most xenophobic and racist countries in the Americas. I was in Alabama a couple of years ago and I never saw so many police cars in my life. The TV had public service ads which showed a negro man in traditional clothing sitting in front of a door way like a homeless person. The camera would then show a black woman in traditional clothing looking very sinister, then the film went to a man, in a business suit and briefcase with lots of burning crosses in the background. The add was trying to educate immigrants on how a real “american” resident dresses and lives like. The yank people are arrogant and gross, at least the non-Spanish speaking ones are, but we were warned about that by a friend who works in Washington in the foreign service. And if you’re dark skinned or gay then you are really treated like crap. But I found all you have to do is remind the yanks of all the blood money they stole from the British 1939-1941 whilst the british fought Hitler alone, desperately trying to preserve civilisation from the Nazis, and how the yanks partied on this money and their financial “empires” were financed by these funds. Then afterwards the whole fucking world was supposed to be grateful that the yanks got involved at all and how they keep on fucking boasting that they rescued the europe from hitler. They are the biggest bunch of cowards and hypocrites on the planet.
Your honour I rest my case.
TANK
Aside from cheese and chocolate, I hate the swiss.
bobspice
@Tallskin:
Good point, well made.
Mr. D.
This Swiss prosecutor dropped the ball in this one!
He did not appeal and Orsi could not appeal because he did not have procedural legal standing, as the AP article states, and becuase he was an ordinary citzen and only the civil party/victim of the crime.
Daniel Zappelli, the Geneva Prosecutor was bought out! Wonder how much HE got to remain silent and not appeal this case!!
I looked through some past articles, and it says that the prosecutor originally requested 1 million dollars in fines against the sheikh at the trial where the Sheikh was convicted.
How does he go from that, disappearing totally from the case, and not appealing the case at all?????!!!
Answer: IN SWITZERLAND, HOME OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, AND CITY OF PEACE – MONEY TALKS and BULLSHIT WALKS!
FUCKING SWISS CORRUPTED FUCKERS!!!!
strumpetwindsock
@Tallskin:
The British were not the only country at war with Germany before 1941.
And although the U.S. were latecomers in both world wars they did supply considerable support through the merchant marine, and Roosevelt did have to deal with a populace which were opposed to joining the war.
strumpetwindsock
(not the U.S. merchant marine before 41, I know.. but they did change laws to be able to sell to Britain while maintaining neutrality)
Tallskin
Strumpet
I bow to your superior knowledge
But do tell me, apart from the (defeated French, dutch, norwegians, danes, belgians etc) who else, apart from the Brits, was involved in fighting the nazis before the nazis attacked Russia in 1941?
and yes it is true that Roosevelt instituted Lend lease, but only after Britain had spent every penny it had. At Roosevelt’s insistence Britain had to transfer its entire gold reserves to the US . –
He knew that If he hadn’t had the british fighting for him, roosevelt supplying arms, ships etc, then the whole of Europe would’ve fallen under Nazi occupation before the yanks turned off the damned music and got serious about fighting the nazis.
That, needless to say would’ve proved slightly more difficult!
Point is, it’s easy to slag off the Swiss for being neutral and profiting from the jewish gold, but that’s exactly what the USA did and did it in a far worse and far more hypocritical manner. Hypocritical because the US official version of history is to portray themselves as the saviours at the same as they slag off the swiss
TANK
It wasn’t just gold. It was veritable museums (plural) of priceless artwork, much lost forever. Fuck the swiss, and anyone else who profited from nazi expansion.
andy_d
@TANK: Including the Bush family. George I’s daddy (W’s grand daddy) made the family fortune by dealing with Hitler. Is it any wonder that Bush I NEVER went to the Holocaust Museum?
strumpetwindsock
@Tallskin:
No need to bow. It ain’t a contest.
Canada, Australia, and most of the Commonwealth countries declared war independent of Britain right after the invasion of Poland. By contrast, in WWI we were automatically in the war when Britain declared.
Of course our army only had a small contingent until the invasion of Italy, but Canadian airforce (based in Britain) and navy were involved in the war from the very beginning.
Most of the Merchant Marine transports were coordinated through Halifax, and we had quite a few U-boat attacks in Canadian waters.
As well, some of the first allied casualties in the Pacific Theatre were Canadian as well – in the Battle of Hong Kong, two days after Pearl Harbour.
And as for complicity, we all (Canada included) turned refugees away, so none of us have too much to be proud of. As well, all of the allies knew what was going on at Auschwitz before it was overrun. While I can understand they wouldn’t want to bomb the camp they could have easily destroyed the rail lines leading up to it.
Jaxson67
man i would have taken the bottle of Dom.
Tallskin
Strumpet – ” By contrast, in WWI we were automatically in the war when Britain declared.”
Oh come per-leaze, do check your facts! Do you not learn history at school????
The USA didn’t enter the first world war until 1917. The first world war started in Europe in the summer of 1914 when Germany invaded Belgium and Britain declared war in response in August 1914.
Bitch, please!
Hello british turds, smell the US shit! It is hysterical to see the british turds get on their high horses when they stole from the Indo-Pak sub-continent, divided up the Middle East(Lawrence of Arabia) after misleading them, and are still stealing from South African diamond mines to build their motherfucking country! Fuck you, limey fags!
PatrickD
Hardly surprising. Back when I was in college my roomates helped me fight one of them off, preventing him from Raping me. Appearently, he couldn’t wrap “No” from a Kaffir arround his head. Needless to say U of U did nothing….
Bitch, please!
@PATRICKD: Please! If you are going to talk about your fantasies and pass them of as real stories, at least make them believable. Rape you? Were you such a bitch in college? Aren’t you supposed to be a grown man by the time you are in college so you can take care of your own self? Are you sure you weren’t simply imagining this because that is what you really wanted to happen? Which probably explains why the University never took any action.
PatrickD
@Bitch, please!: Gee, thanks for your support. Of course, it WAS my own fault. I didn’t realise that in Saudi culture that having your roomate invite someone over to your house as your blind date obligated you to have sex with them. Luckly, I’ve changed in the last 30 yrs….
strumpetwindsock
@Tallskin:
I’m Canadian. I wasn’t talking about the states.
In WWI Britain declaring war meant that the entire commonwealth was also at war.
@Bitch, please!:
No need to play who has the bigger shit pile. I think Tallskin was pointing out that we’ve all got colonial crimes to answer for and we all spin the story to make ourselves look good, and he’s right.
And Woodrow Wilson was at the table at the Paris Peace Conference right next to Lloyd George, so the Americans are just as much to blame for the Middle East being fucked up as the Brits.
T.E. Lawrence (widely believed to be gay) came to the conference to argue for Arab self-government, but was turned down by the Europeans.
http://www.ctevans.net/Versailles/Diplomats/Lawrence/Lawrence.html
Tallskin
Strumpet – indeed, sorry I didn’t realise you were canadian
As for Bitch, please!’s fatuous comment I agree, however I fear you may confuse the poor dumbarse by mentioning Versailles. He probably thinks Versailles is some new perfume by givenchy or some new fashion mag.
Bitch, please!
@TALLSKIN: Kiss my “dumbarse”, you fucking turd!
OutandProud
The #2 comment from Jennifer: You are so right about it. I am currently working in Saudi Arabia and there are a lot of men here who prey on other men (gay or straight) and especially Filipinos. I admit I am gay but it doesnt mean I do the Madonna (hooking all the men that would come my way). Im pretty decent and I dont practice polygamy. So yah, they are sex-driven sex-hungry maniacs!
NIKOLETT PÁL
I WOULDE LIKE TO MEET WITH HIM AGAIN.
NIKOLETT PÁL
I THINK WE NEED TO TALK.
NIKOLETT PÁL
FALAH ! I WANT TO SEE WHAT’S WRONG! BUT I CAN’T LIKE THIS. NIKY
CandyMan
Strumpet, Canadian, Brit, whatever. Just another bitter soul; can’t stand the power our country yields. Yeah, Truman should have stopped the Brits, blah, blah, blah. Open the history books – the Brits did their ‘pillaging world tour’ long before ’45.