The debut episode of Minhaj's show 'Patriot Act' did not sit well with the Saudi Kingdom
Netflix has removed an episode dedicated to criticising Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from comedian Hasan Minhaj's show Patriot Act.
According to a report by Financial Times, the Saudi government filed a complaint with the streaming giant saying that the episode violates the kingdom's anti-cybercrime law. Responding to the complaint, Netflix removed the episode from the platform in Saudi Arabia. The episode is still available on the show's YouTube channel and viewers in other corners of the world can still watch it on Netflix.
"We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and only removed this episode in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal request — and to comply with local law," Netflix said in a statement to the Financial Times.
According to Saudi cyber-crime law, "production, preparation, transmission, or storage of material impinging on public order, religious values, public morals, and privacy, through the information network or computers" is a punishable crime.
The debut episode of Minhaj's solo show skewered the Prince in October over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. According to CIA, Prince Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder.
In the episode, Minhaj called the Saudi government 'the boy band manager of 9/11 attacks.' "They didn't write the songs, but they helped the group get together," said Minhaj pointing out that the country had issued the passports to the culprits behind the terrorist act. He also pointed out how American presidents have often overlooked the transgressions dubbing the Saudi kingdom as a 'key ally' in the conflict-ridden Middle East Asia.
"Now would be a good time to reassess our relationship with Saudi Arabia," Minhaj said. "And I mean that as a Muslim and as an American."
Netflix's decision to censor the show as invited outrage and criticism from various organisations and individuals.
"Every artist whose work appears on Netflix should be outraged that the company has agreed to censor a comedy show because the thin-skinned royals in Saudi complained about it," a Human Rights Watch spokesperson told The Guardian. "Netflix’s claim to support artistic freedom means nothing if it bows to demands of government officials who believe in no freedom for their citizens – not artistic, not political, not comedic."
Karen Attiah, Khashoggi’s editor at the Washington Post tweeted,
"Banning a comedy act that brings valid criticism of a government is a counterproductive measure and an affront to the freedom of expression that all citizens deserve," Jillian C. York, director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Financial Times.
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