Saudi Arabian television producer Abdulaziz Almuzaini, the creator of the Netflix animated series “Masameer County,” has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and a travel ban by an anti-terrorism court. The sentence was handed down due to Almuzaini’s promotion of homosexuality, which led to the closure of his company, Myrkott Animation Studio, and the layoffs of staff.
In a video posted online, Almuzaini explained that he had been charged with promoting homosexuality after his series tackled social taboos, including this sensitive topic. He made a direct appeal to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hoping for a correction of his situation. However, neither he nor any authorities were available for comment on the matter.
The Wall Street Journal reported that court documents cited online posts by Almuzaini where he mocked the Arab regime or advocated for women’s rights. Critics have denounced Saudi Arabia’s harsh crackdown on online criticism and cited the case of two women sentenced to lengthy prison terms in 2022 for critical online posts as evidence.
