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Saudi Arabia has announced that it would punish satire in line with jail terms of up to five years, while the kingdom continues its crackdown on political dissent.
Saudi leaders are queuing between social reform and political repression, seeking to retain absolute power while modernizing the conservative nation.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the country's Attorney General said any online content "disrupting public order" would be punishable by new sanctions, AFP reported.
"The production and distribution of content that ridicules, ridicules, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morality through social media … will be considered a cybercrime punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals), "said the tweet.
The country's cyber-repression has raised concerns among human rights groups, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – son and heir of old King Salman and considered the throne – seeks to maintain strict control of society .
The government has resorted to extensive anti-terrorism legislation to prosecute dozens of citizens for their online activities, mainly on social networks like Twitter. In September 2017, the government asked the Saudis to report any social media behavior that "harms the reputation of the state".
The authorities have even taken up an application – launched in 2016 to help civilians report traffic offenses and burglaries – so that the Saudis can report more easily. Announcing the new initiative, the Ministry of the Interior tweeted: "When you notice an account on social networks publishing terrorist or extremist ideas, please report it immediately via the app."
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Demonstrations and political parties are banned in Saudi Arabia and the traditional press is tightly controlled by the royal family. Social media has offered citizens a new way to remove frustration, call for change, and connect with foreign activists and advocacy groups. The role of social media in protests and uprisings has not been ignored by the Saudi royal family and the regime hopes to exercise control over domestic users.
At the same time, the crown prince is leading the ambitious Vision 2030 project, which aims to diversify the Saudi economy and no longer depend on oil and create a "dynamic society". Foreign investment is essential to the realization of the plan. present the kingdom as a business open to the outside world.
But despite all his reformist details, Salman was careful not to keep the fist rule of the throne at home. Even allowing women to drive, which Saudi women have been wanting for decades, has been accompanied by a crackdown on feminist activists, recalling that in Saudi Arabia, rights are granted and not required. .
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