Saudi Arabian television producer Abdulaziz Almuzaini is facing imprisonment and a travel ban following his Netflix animated series. The Special Criminal Court imposed a 13-year sentence on him, followed by a 13-year travel ban, for promoting homosexuality through his work. This led to the closure of his company, Myrkott Animation Studio, and the layoffs of staff.
Almuzaini made an appeal to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in hopes of correcting his situation. However, neither the authorities nor Almuzaini were available for comment on the matter. According to court documents, online posts by Almuzaini were referenced where he mocked the Arab regime or advocated for women’s rights.
In 2021, Almuzaini launched his Netflix series “Masameer County”, which humorously depicted a changing Saudi Arabia and tackled social taboos including homosexuality. Critics have denounced Saudi Arabia’s harsh crackdown on online criticism, citing the case of two women who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in 2022 for critical online posts.
