Netflix's decision to pull an episode of a show critical of Saudi authorities risks facilitating a crackdown on freedom of expression in the kingdom, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
"Saudi Arabia's censorship of Netflix... is further proof of a relentless crackdown on freedom of expression in the kingdom," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty's Middle East campaigns director.
"By bowing to the Saudi Arabian authorities' demands, Netflix is in danger of facilitating the kingdom's zero-tolerance policy on freedom of expression and assisting the authorities in denying people's right to freely access information."
Netflix on Tuesday confirmed it had pulled an episode of "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj" in which the comedian lashed out at Saudi Arabia after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
FILE: American comedian Hasan Minhaj entertains the guests at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington Source: AP
An American-born Muslim, Minhaj specifically criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was openly critical of the Saudi-led military campaign in war-hit Yemen.
Netflix said it had pulled the episode after a "valid legal request" in order to comply with local law.
Under Saudi Arabia's sweeping cyber crime law, the storage or use of data that could be used for defamation is banned.
Disseminating or storing material "impinging on public order, religious values, public morals and privacy" is also a punishable offence.
Dozens of Saudi citizens have been convicted on charges linked to dissent and under the cyber crime law in recent years, particularly linked to posts on Twitter.
Murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Source: AAP
Prince Mohammed launched an aggressive campaign to soften the international image of ultraconservative Saudi Arabia after his sudden appointment as heir to the throne in June 2017.
But authorities in the kingdom continue to draw criticism from rights group over the targeting of human rights activists and political dissidents.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj. Source: EPA
Karen Attiah, Khashoggi's editor at The Washington Post, said Netflix's action was "quite outrageous."
Low ranking on press freedom
Online platforms and tech companies face increasing scrutiny and growing public skepticism in the face of controversies about data sharing and the steady erosion of privacy.
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."
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.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got a particular serve in the episode. Source: AAP
Minhaj, 33, has seen his profile rise steadily in recent years. His routines combine personal history and pointed political commentary wrapped in edgy topical humor.
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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