March 11, 2010 | Online

Arrested over 'gay' YouTube video

A man in Saudi Arabia was arrested in January because of a YouTube video. The video, uploaded by a friend, showed him dressed in a police uniform and engaged in “inappropriate acts" like flirting with another man and offering to “comfort" him.

Police First Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq explained the man "is facing three charges: One is for homosexuality; the other for general security; and the third is for impersonating a police officer."

Al-Bouq continued, “we always make sure that cases like this are not open to the public. I don’t think it’s appropriate or important for the citizens or the country. But after rumors were spread on the Internet we had to set things straight.”

In other words, Saudi authorities prefer to persecute gay men in secret to prevent innocent citizens from being offended by the mere thought of homos in their midst. The government has also tried to block the video from being viewed in Saudi Arabia.

Of course, America loves itself some Saudi oil, so the draconian laws the Middle Eastern country chooses to follow seldom raise the ire of even the most liberal politicans.

Man in police uniform arrested for ‘homosexuality’ [Arab News]