The Human Rights Watch said it’s “not too late” for the comedians who participated in the Riyadh Comedy Festival to come out in support of free speech.
A new statement comes days after comedians like Bill Burr and Aziz Ansari, who partook in the Saudi Arabia festival, explained their reasoning for performing. The HRW made it clear they were looking for support of free speech rather than a boycott of the festival.
“Human Rights Watch didn’t call for comedians to boycott the Riyadh Comedy Festival, but simply asked them to express their support for free speech by urging the release of Saudi activists unjustly imprisoned,” said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at HRW. “Aziz Ansari and other comedians have generously offered to donate part of their performance fees to rights groups like Human Rights Watch, but while we cannot accept, it is not too late for them to call for the release of detained Saudi activists.”
The Riyadh Comedy Festival sparked outrage over the last few weeks, with several U.S. comedians, including Marc Maron and David Cross criticizing the high-profile event. One of the major sticking points became the comedians appearing at the festival relying on free speech and being vocal while performing in a place where that is suppressed.
Ansari called the controversy a “complicated issue” during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday. The actor explained that he “put a lot of thought into” his decision to participate and that his “Muslim background” influenced his decision to accept the gig, especially after speaking with a relative who once lived in Saudi Arabia.
“This is a very young country, like half the country is under the age of 25, and things can really change,” he said. “And to me, a comedy festival felt like something that’s pushing things to be more open and to push a dialogue. You kind of have to make a choice of whether you’re going to isolate or engage. And for me, especially being me and looking the way I do, and being from a Muslim background, it felt like something I should be a part of. And I hope it pushes things in a positive direction.”
Burr, meanwhile, doubled down on his defense of appearing at the festival at a live taping of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” earlier this week. The comedian explained that he did not regret going to the festival, adding that “it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had as a comedian.”
“I think the general consensus is, ‘How dare you go to that place and make those oppressed people laugh. You f–king piece of s–t,’” Burr said mocking Internet haters when O’Brien asked how he was doing. “‘I can’t believe you went to that place. I can’t find it on a map. And this bot said I was upset about it. So now I am. It’s one thing to wear clothes made by sweatshop labor. It’s quite another to go to the factory and make ’em laugh. I can’t believe how much anger I had about this issue after it went viral.’”
