Comedian Hasan Minhaj, known for his controversial and outright takes on politics and religion, has found himself in yet another tricky situation. One of Minhaj’s Netflix video of the series’ Patriot Act — title Saudi Arabia — has been taken down for viewing in Saudi Arabia.
The series tackled the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Minhaj could be heard saying, “It blows my mind that it took the killing of a Washington Post journalist for everyone to go, ‘Oh, I guess he’s really not a reformer’ (sic).”
According to the Article 6 of the Saudi law, which states in part, “production, preparation, transmission, or storage of material impinging on public order, religious values, public morals, and privacy, through the information network or computers.”
It’s a crime that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine not exceeding three million riyals (about $800,000).
A Netflix spokesperson released a statement, saying, “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 (sic).”
