Saudi Anime Producer Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison... Indicted After Netflix Contract

Due to a Tweet from 10 Years Ago... "Supporting Extremist Ideologies, Attempting Social Unrest"

A Saudi Arabian TV series producer was sentenced to a heavy prison term for allegedly promoting homosexuality and terrorism on social media.

Abdulaziz Almuzaine. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 4th (local time), according to Middle East specialist media Middle East Eye (MEE) and the human rights organization Sanad Foundation, Abdulaziz Almujaini, a dual US-Saudi national, was sentenced by a Saudi court to 13 years in prison and a 30-year travel ban.

According to the court ruling obtained by the US daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Saudi court took issue with his social network service (SNS) posts.

In 2015, he posted on Twitter (now X), "Only God can save Palestine. Arab countries cannot save themselves."

One of the charges also included his 2014 post stating, "You cannot live in Riyadh (the capital of Saudi Arabia) unless you are under the influence of drugs."

The prosecution charged him, claiming, "He transmitted content over the internet that could disturb society and harm public order," and sought a 25-year prison sentence.

On July 1 last year, the first-instance court ruled him guilty, stating, "The defendant supported extremist ideas and attempted to destabilize the social structure and national unity," and the recent second-instance court upheld this verdict.

Almujaini appealed the ruling, arguing, "I love my country and hope it becomes more open," and insisted that his tweets were merely satire.

There is an interpretation that the Saudi authorities punished him for tweets from 10 years ago because of his five-year partnership with Netflix starting in 2020.

He produced an adult comedy animation satirizing the rapidly changing Saudi society called Masameer County, which was released through Netflix in 2021 and its second season in 2023.

In a video posted on X in the form of a letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Almujaini claimed, "Shortly after Masameer County first aired on Netflix in 2021, the Saudi broadcasting authorities filed a criminal lawsuit."

He also said he was questioned during the investigation about "why he did not sign a contract with Saudi media group MBC." This video has since been deleted.

The US State Department stated, "We are monitoring the Almujaini case" and "are working to ensure a fair and transparent legal process."

The WSJ interpreted the case as "reflecting the duality of Saudi society amid Crown Prince Mohammed's push for reform policies."