Netflix removes Hasan Minhaj comedy episode

Netflix has removed an episode of Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Patriot Act’ in Saudi Arabia due to its criticism of the kingdom’s rulers.

The episode included the American-born Muslim comic criticising Saudi Arabia after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

Netflix said it backed artistic freedom but had to “comply with local law”.

In a statement, the streaming service said: “We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and removed this episode only in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal request and to comply with local law.”

The removal of the episode came after a complaint from the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission, which said the episode violated the cyber crime law, according to the Financial Times.

Despite the removal by Netflix, people in Saudi Arabia can still watch the episode on the show’s YouTube channel.