Other comedians such as Atsuko Okatsuka declined to appear, noting the country’s record of repression against dissidents, and its anti-LBGTQ policies, as well as rules in the contract prohibiting any jokes made about the royal family or Saudi Arabia. The festival has been the subject of fierce criticism from those who are accusing Saudi Arabia of “artwashing” in order to move attention away from its disturbing human rights record. This includes the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey in 2018. “They’re going to do something to me so that I can’t say what I want to say,” he stated. “Here’s the phrase: I stand with Israel.”—Photo: GettyDave Chappelle Talks Of US Censorship In Saudi Arabia was originally published on hiphopwired.com