Netflix Pulls Episode of ‘Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj’ After Complaints From Saudi Arabia

Netflix has pulled an episode of Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, after complaints from the government in Saudi Arabia.

According to Variety, the episode was only pulled from the streaming service in Saudi Arabia specifically after the country threatened legal action due to the nature of criticism over Minhaj’s comments regarding alleged Saudi government ties to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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

Minaj has since commented on the move, tweeting out, “Clearly, the best way to stop people from watching something is to ban it, make it trend online, and then leave it up on YouTube,” referring to the fact that most of the segment is still available globally on Netflix’s YouTube channel.

Khashoggi was not shy about his criticisms of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which led some to imply that the prince could have been involved with the journalist’s death.

The episode of Patriot Act that focused on the killing featured Minaj suggesting that the Saudi government’s bizarre journey from denying involvement to the crime to eventually stating that is was the result of a “rouge” operation did not invoke confidence in them.

“The Saudis were struggling to explain his disappearance. They said he left the consulate safely, then they used a body double to make it seem like he was alive,” Minhaj said in the episode. “At one point they were saying he died in a fistfight, Jackie Chan-style. They went through so many explanations. The only one they didn’t say was that Khashoggi died in a free solo rock-climbing accident.”

Regarding Netflix‘s decision to pull the episode in Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi’s former editor at the Washington Post — Karen Attiaj — called the choice “quite outrageous.”

“[Hasan Minhaj of Patriot Act] has been a strong, honest and (funny) voice challenging Saudi Arabia + Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of [Khashoggi’s] murder. He brought awareness about Yemen,” she tweeted, adding, “Quite outrageous that [Netflix] has pulled one of his episodes critical of Saudi Arabia.”