Netflix drops satire episode critical of Saudi Arabia

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Netflix has removed an episode of a satirical comedy show that criticizes Saudi Arabia after officials in the kingdom complained, raising new questions about the limits of free online expression, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said the streaming giant had taken down the episode of "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj" in Saudi Arabia after the kingdom's Communications and Information Technology Commission said it violated the kingdom's cybercrime law.

In the episode, Minhaj, an American-born Muslim of Indian descent, lashed Saudi Arabia after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

'Quite outrageous'

Karen Attiah, Khashoggi's editor at Washington Post, tweeted that Netflix's action was "quite outrageous."

Requests for reaction to the Saudi information ministry and Netflix were not immediately returned.

But the Financial Times said Netflix had defended its decision by saying: "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."

/Photo via Twitter‍

The episode can still be seen in other parts of the world and in Saudi Arabia on YouTube.

Online platforms and tech companies have been facing increasing scrutiny and growing public skepticism amid controversies about data sharing and the steady erosion of privacy.

The 33-year-old Minhaj has seen his profile rise steadily. His routines combine personal history and pointed political commentary wrapped in edgy topical humor.

In 2014, he became a senior correspondent on Comedy Central's popular "The Daily Show," and in 2017 he was the featured speaker at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. "Patriot Act" debuted in October 2018.

Source(s): AFP