""The Saudi government is using the Riyadh Comedy Festival to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations," said Human Rights Watch in a statement this week. "Participating comedians, to avoid contributing to laundering the Saudi government's reputation, should use the comedy festival to publicly urge Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists.""
""From the folks that brought you 9/11. Two weeks of laughter in the desert, don't miss it!' joked Maron acerbically. "The same guy that's gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone-saw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a f***ing suitcase. But don't let that stop the yucks, it's gonna be a good time!'""
"A recent U.S. State Department report on Saudi Arabia's human rights record in 2024 listed abuses including "arbitrary or unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, and serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom," among other issues."
Riyadh is hosting the first Riyadh Comedy Festival through Oct. 9, featuring dozens of A-list comedians, many from the United States, including Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart and Jimmy Carr. The event has drawn criticism from fellow comedians, human rights groups and commentators who say the festival may help Saudi authorities deflect attention from severe rights violations. Human Rights Watch urged participating comedians to publicly call for the release of unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists and activists. A U.S. State Department report listed abuses such as arbitrary killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, and restrictions on freedom of expression. Marc Maron publicly mocked colleagues' participation and referenced allegations linked to Sept. 11 and the Jamal Khashoggi murder.
Read at www.npr.org
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