Mohammad Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia wants to make his nation modern. He is doing his best to turn Saudi Arabia into a modern, tech-savvy place with new entertainment and a high-tech city. For this purpose he has made some major changes, like opening the movie theaters and letting women to drive openly.
Everyone knows that Saudi Arabia is still an autocracy where people have no rights to speak freely. Also those who raise their voice against the government are sent to jail. Back to 2018, when Mohammad Bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, and the murder was hidden.
Recently, the government went after Abdulaziz al-Muzaini, a filmmaker with US-Saudi citizenship. He created “Masameer,” a Netflix show that makes fun of life in Saudi Arabia, including issues like women’s rights and strict religious rules. “Masameer” was so popular on YouTube that it led to a five-year deal with Netflix. Although the show was bold, the government had allowed it and even featured Muzaini on TV and at a theme park.
The current situation of Mr. Muzaini is very serious. On June 26, he explored some serious secrets about the Saudi court. According to his statement, a secret Saudi court has been prosecuting him since July 2021, right after his show “Masameer” appeared on Netflix. Saudi authorities charged him for supporting the different acts of terrorism and homosexuality through his work. Additionally, the human rights group ALQST also said that his show used very inappropriate language. With all of these charges he also faced blames related to many years old social media posts.
According to him, he was first sentenced to jail for 13 years and also a 13-year travel ban. With the passage of time, his travel ban was extended to 30 years. He is still in trouble and waiting for the final decision from the Supreme Court. He is also seeking help from Mohammad Bin Salman.
It seems the Specialized Criminal Court, which was originally set up to handle terrorism cases, is now increasingly used to impose harsh sentences on those who criticize the Crown Prince.
He made many important decisions regarding the shutdown of his production company, Mrykott. This company has gained much fame within a short time period. It had gained a large following on YouTube, with over 2.5 million subscribers and many views on its cartoon episodes dating back to 2011. But with the passage of time, he faced many serious challenges and as a result he decided to close his company. But at the same time, he said he is ready to face new challenges in the path of his success. He also posed some positive messages to the Crown Prince. On X, he changed his profile form, “A proud Saudi-American” to “A proud Saudi.”
Along with him, other Saudi creatives also face pressure. For example, the popular podcaster, Hatem al-Najjar, who is popular to host the famous podcast, “ Muraba” was arrested earlier this year.
This arrest followed a social media campaign by pro-government activists who used the hashtag “Arrest_Hatem_Alnajjar” in response to an episode of his podcast that was criticized by conservatives. Even though he issued an online apology, Hatem al-Najjar remains in detention. Similarly, in 2023, Mansour al-Raqiba, a social media influencer, was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
This was because he criticized Vision 2030, the Saudi economic plan led by MBS. His arrest followed his admission that he had been blackmailed over his criticism of the plan.
All of these human rights abuses are deeply serious. One of the 27 year dentists, Salma-a-Shehab, mother of two children received a 27 year prison sentence. This punishment is because she supports women;s right activists on social media. In 2021, she was visited in Saudi Arabia and got arrested, despite leaving abroad. One of the other incidents is that Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women’s rights advocate, was sentenced to 11 years. This is because she chose clothes according to her choice and also supported women’s rights.
It seems contradictory that Crown Prince MBS claims to want a progressive, innovative Saudi Arabia while at the same time persecuting dynamic and innovative Saudis like Abdulaziz al-Muzaini. By suppressing people who push for change, it becomes clear that his real priority is maintaining unchecked power, rather than advancing the country.