Netflix producer sentenced to 13 years in prison

The Saudi Arabian television producer Abdulaziz Almuzaini is, according to his own statements, because of his Netflix animated series sentenced to imprisonment and a travel ban by an anti-terrorism court.

He is no longer allowed to Saudi Arabian Almuzaini, sitting in a car, explained in a video published this week on the online service X.

Court accuses him of promoting homosexuality

In a video published last week and now deleted, the producer of the series “Masameer County” stated that the kingdom’s Special Criminal Court, established in 2008 to combat terrorism, had imposed on him “a sentence of 13 years, followed by a 13-year travel ban”.

According to Almuzaini, the court accuses him of promoting homosexuality. As a result of the pressure, he closed his company Myrkott Animation Studio have already had to close and lay off staff.

Almuzaini also made a direct appeal to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,in which he expressed his confidence that this “will correct some of what has happened to me”. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the court documents refer to online posts by Almuzaini in which he “mocks the Arab regime” or advocates for women’s rights.

Social taboos

The authorities did not respond to a request from the news agency on Thursday AFP and Almuzaini himself was not available for comment.

His Netflix series “Masameer County”, which launched in 2021, takes a humorous look at a changing Saudi Arabia and breaks social taboos in the process. Even topics such as homosexuality, which is considered a serious crime in Saudi Arabia, are not left out.

Activists criticize Saudi Arabia for its tough crackdown on sometimes very vague critical statements on the Internet. In 2022, two women were sentenced to decades in prison for critical online posts.