Human Rights Watch Rejects Donations from Comedians Who Performed at Riyadh Comedy Festival, Urges Them to Call for Release of Saudi Prisoners of Conscience

Human Rights Watch announced it would not accept donations from several international comedians who participated in the 2025 Riyadh Comedy Festival, urging them instead to use their platforms to express solidarity with Saudi prisoners of conscience and call for their release, rather than offering financial contributions.

American comedian Aziz Ansari said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live that he planned to donate part of his payment from the festival to human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, following widespread criticism directed at him and other performers for participating in a government-sponsored event seen as an attempt to whitewash Saudi Arabia’s human rights record through entertainment.

Joey Shea, Human Rights Watch’s Saudi Arabia researcher, stated that the organization cannot accept such donations and called on participating comedians to publicly show solidarity with victims of repression in Saudi Arabia, particularly human rights defender Waleed Abu al-Khair and women’s rights activist Manahel Al-Otaibi, who remains detained for advocating for women’s rights and freedom of expression.

Human Rights Watch emphasized that the Riyadh Comedy Festival, held from September 26 to October 9, 2025, with the participation of more than fifty international performers—including Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, and Jessica Kirson—is part of the Saudi government’s ongoing efforts to polish its image internationally while continuing to commit serious human rights violations and detain activists and dissidents.