“The Dangers of Speaking Out: The Rapid Changes and Repression in Saudi Arabia’s Entertainment Industry”

• Daisy Mohr

  Middle East correspondent

Cristiano Ronaldo, Alicia Keys, Will Smith and Afrojack. In Saudi Arabia, international stars come and go. Formula 1 has just come to an end, a film festival is approaching and they are aiming for the 2030 World Cup.

The country is rapidly opening up to foreign investors and events. After decades of restrictions, this is a relief for many – but for critics, according to human rights organizations, it is becoming increasingly dangerous to speak out. As long as you join the masses you can be enthusiastic about all reforms, as long as you don’t talk critically about politics.

A first-time visitor may not even notice; Saudi women who work in the service or at the reception of a hotel. All of that was unthinkable a few years ago. Until recently, Saudi women were virtually invisible in public life. Now women can walk the streets without a headscarf and abaya without any problems.

Saudi Arabia has always been one of the most conservative countries in the world. Men and women lived in separate worlds, concerts and cinemas were forbidden and there was hardly anything to do.

Seventy percent of the Saudi population is under thirty and all those young people have access to the internet and social media. After years in which the religious police reprimanded anyone who did not comply with the strict rules, things have changed. The biggest names in the sports and entertainment industry are lured with big money. They do not seem to be bothered for a moment by the human rights status of the country.

Correspondent Daisy Mohr was in Jeddah and went to one of those festivals, MDLBEAST. 40,000 young Saudis go wild at a Charlie Puth performance, one Saudi DJ and Afrojack.

“If you had asked me five or six years ago if all this would be possible, I would have said a resounding ‘no’,” said Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Saudi newspaper Arab News. The journalists in his team write a lot about the Kingdom’s ‘2030 vision’, the master plan that should modernize the country and diversify the economy so that it no longer depends solely on oil revenues in the future.

There are daily articles in Arab News about the new developments. Saudi singers and dancers who are suddenly allowed to perform for a mixed audience, international conferences, developing megacities and economic initiatives. “This has to be the most remarkable change this region has seen in decades. Half of society was paralyzed here. Women were not allowed to work and treated as second-class citizens. I am not saying that everything that is happening here is ideal or that we have already achieved all our goals, but it is remarkable.”

Critical voices can no longer be found in Saudi Arabia, and according to Amnesty International this is due to the increased repression. “In the past year, the repression has really escalated,” says Dana Ahmed of Amnesty International in Beirut. “People are the target of ridiculous charges. It could be because of a tweet or something else on social media. Sometimes it’s because someone has spoken to an international organization or a diplomat. Anything that the authorities might consider a threat can be considered a threat.” crime are seen. Often it is not clear what exactly it is because the red lines are blurred.”

What is clear, says Ahmed, is that criticizing the crown prince and the royal family is punishable. “There are very long prison sentences.”

In today’s Saudi Arabia, according to Ahmed, being an activist is simply not an option. “Currently everyone is in jail and if they are not in jail they have been silenced in some other way. As soon as they open their mouths they risk being arrested. Prominent activists are detained and they are used as an example for others. In this way everyone is discouraged from speaking out. I think the strategy of the authorities is to make the changes come from above. It is not something that can be demanded by the people, this is given to the people by the government. And do you speak against that, then the price you pay is very high.”