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Agence France-Presse

Netflix said it removed an episode of a satirical comedy show that criticises Saudi Arabia, after officials in the kingdom reportedly complained.
The move raises new questions about the limits of free online expression.
In the episode of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, the American-born Muslim lashed Saudi Arabia after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
He specifically criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and was also critical of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.
“We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and removed this episode only in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal request – and to comply with local law,” a Netflix spokeswoman said in a statement.

.@hasanminhaj of @patriotact has been a strong, honest and (funny) voice challenging Saudi Arabia + Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of #khashoggi’s murder. He brought awareness about Yemen.
Quite outrageous that @netflix has pulled one of his episodes critical of Saudi Arabia.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) January 1, 2019

Financial Times said Netflix’s action came after the kingdom’s Communications and Information Technology Commission said the episode violated the cybercrime law.
In December, the US Senate approved two symbolic resolutions blaming Prince Mohammed for the killing of Khashoggi, after intelligence reports pointed in that direction, and urging an end to US participation in the Yemen war.
Are men in new CCTV images carrying Khashoggi’s body parts in bags?
Karen Attiah, Khashoggi’s editor at The Washington Post, said Netflix’s action was “quite outrageous”.
The Saudi Information Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The episode can still be seen in other parts of the world – and in Saudi Arabia on YouTube.
Online platforms and tech companies face increasing scrutiny and growing public scepticism in the face of controversies about data sharing and the steady erosion of privacy.
Warning: graphic language may offend


In October, the press freedom watchdog group Reporters Without Borders ranked Saudi Arabia as 169th out of 180 countries for press freedom, adding that “it will very probably fall even lower in the 2019 index because of the gravity of the violence and abuses of all kinds against journalists”.
The real cost of Trump’s stance on Jamal Khashoggi killing
After releasing its annual study of global internet freedom, another watchdog, Freedom House, said in November that Saudi Arabia was among those employing “troll armies” to manipulate social media and in many cases drown out the voices of dissidents.
Minhaj, 33, has seen his profile rise steadily. His routines combine personal history and pointed political commentary wrapped in edgy topical humour.
In 2014, he became senior correspondent on Comedy Central’s popular The Daily Show, and in 2017 was the featured speaker at the White House Correspondents’ dinner.
Patriot Act debuted in October 2018.


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Jamal Khashoggi killing

Netflix drops ‘Patriot Act’ comedy episode in Saudi Arabia after kingdom officials complain

A promotional photo for ‘Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj’. Photo: Netflix

Are men in new CCTV images carrying Jamal Khashoggi’s body parts in bags?

A CCTV image shows a man carrying at least one bag into the home of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul. Photo: A-Haber

A Turkish television station has broadcast CCTV footage showing men carrying cases and bags which it says contained slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body parts. The images shown on A-Haber television late Sunday feature three men carrying five suitcases and two large black bags into the home of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul.

Turkish forensic police search for evidence at the garden of the Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi on October 17, 2018 in Istanbul. - Saudi Arabia's consul to Istanbul Mohammed al-Otaibion on October 16, 2018 left the Turkish city bound for Riyadh on a scheduled flight, reports said, as Turkey prepared to search his residence in the probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2011 file photo, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks on his cellphone at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Khashoggi disappeared on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, after visiting his country's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Federation of Journalists says in a report set for release Monday Dec. 31, 2018, that 94 people working in the media industry were killed this year, 12 more than in 2017. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, FILE)

Allies of Saudi crown prince are promoted in government overhaul, as kingdom grapples with aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi killing

FILE - In this April 18, 2017 file photo, then Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf speaks at the opening of the annual meeting of the Arab financial institutions, in Rabat, Morocco. On Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018, Saudi King Salman issued a wide-ranging overhaul of top government posts, including naming a new foreign minister, following international fallout from the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul nearly three months ago. Adel al-Jubeir, the soft-spoken foreign minister since 2015, was replaced by Ibrahim al-Assaf, who was formerly a finance minister. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar, File)

In this December 9 file photo, released by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, speaks to his father, King Salman, at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh. Photo: AP

When Donald Trump tries to bury Khashoggi killing, he’s also burying 9/11

Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2011. US President Donald Trump has refused to listen to a recording of Khashoggi being tortured ahead of his murder. Photo: AP

‘I can’t breathe’: gruesome transcript reveals murdered Saudi journalist Khashoggi’s last words, says report

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks during a press conference in Manama. A CNN report said the murdered journalist’s last words were ‘I can’t breath’. Photo: AP

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018, file, photo released by the press office of the G20 Summit Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a plenary session on the second day of the G20 Leader's Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Turkey is seeking the arrest of two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who were dismissed amid the fallout from the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.(G20 Press Office via AP, File)

News

World

Middle East

Saudi authorities said the episode, hosted by comedian Hasan Minhaj, breached cybercrime laws
The episode was dropped from Netflix’s streaming service in the kingdom but was still available on YouTube


Saudi authorities said the episode hosted by comedian Hasan Minhaj breached cybercrime laws. The episode was dropped from Netflix’s streaming service in the kingdom but was still available on YouTube.


Saudi Arabia

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Netflix