Human Rights Watch said Thursday it will not accept donations from comedians who performed At the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.
The human rights organization told Variety that it “cannot accept” donations from comedians like Aziz Ansari and others performing.
“While we cannot condone it, it is not too late to call for the release of detained Saudi activists,” said Joy Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch. Diversity,
“Human Rights Watch did not call on comedians to boycott the Riyadh Comedy Festival, but instead asked them to express their support for freedom of expression by urging the release of unjustly imprisoned Saudi activists,” Shia said.
Hill has contacted Human Rights Watch for comment.
Shia attracted the attention of the Saudi government, which sponsors a comedy festival. Last month Shia also told Diversity about the country’s human rights record and pointed to the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
“Comedians who receive huge sums of money from Saudi authorities should not remain silent on topics that are banned in Saudi Arabia, such as human rights or free speech,” Shia said in September. “Everyone demonstrating in Riyadh should use this high-profile opportunity to call for the release of detained Saudi activists.”
Ansari faced pushback from host Jimmy Kimmel late Tuesday night, when Ansari was reminded that Saudi Arabia is “a very brutal regime,” Kimmel said.
He added, “He’s done a lot of terrible, terrible things.”
“Ansari did a lot of thinking,” he said. The comedian said he hoped the move would “promote dialogue.”
“You have to make a choice whether you’re going to be isolated or engaged,” Ansari said. “For me, especially with who I am and who I am and coming from a Muslim background, it feels like I should be a part of this.”
Ansari was joined at the Riyadh Comedy Festival by comedians such as Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Hannibal Buress, Pete Davidson, Joe Coy, Gabriel Iglesias and Jeff Ross. The festival began on 26 September and ended on Thursday.
Several comedians, including Marc Maron and Shane Gillis, spoke out against the performance.
