Despotic Saudi Arabia bans laughter – criminalizes humor: In Saudi Arabia, you can now be jailed for 5 years for posting online satire.

In a despicable, if not surprising move, the deranged desert kingdom is once again attacking basic human rights. In a desperate attempt to prevent any political dissent, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the brutal and despotic dictator running Saudi Arabia, will now punish those responsible for humorous posts on social media that “affects public order, religious values and public morals” with a five-year prison term and a fine of 3 million riyals ($800,000).

France 24 reports:

Saudi Arabia will punish online satire that “disrupts public order” with up to five years in prison, the public prosecutor said Tuesday, as the kingdom cracks down on dissent. “Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media … will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000),” the public prosecution tweeted late Monday.

Commenting on the story via Twitter, Muhammad Syed, President, Ex-Muslims of North America, and human rights activist, noted:

There never was such a statute (against blasphemy, against argument, against free speech) that did not stain the book that it was in and that did not certify to the savagery of the men who passed it. – Robert G. Ingersollhttps://t.co/9A3nIe4jFC — Muhammad Syed (PBUM) (@MoTheAtheist) September 4, 2018

There never was such a statute (against blasphemy, against argument, against free speech) that did not stain the book that it was in and that did not certify to the savagery of the men who passed it. – Robert G. Ingersoll

Make no mistake, Saudi Arabia’s human rights record is appalling. In fact, every decent country, and every decent human being, is morally obligated to speak out against the draconian and inhumane policies of the barbaric and brutal kingdom.

The Saudi kingdom is a brutal regime that gives out the death penalty for being gay, denies women the most basic human rights, and commits many other despicable human rights abuses.

In Saudi Arabia, women are second class citizens, treated more like children than adults. In fact women were not even allowed to drive up until just a few months ago.

Moreover, women are required to dress in black from head to toe, and require permission from a male guardian to travel, work and/or marry.

In addition to the abysmal treatment of women and homosexuals, the Saudi regime is a place where migrant workers are routinely tortured and sexually abused, while young children are frequently imprisoned without trial and executed.

In Saudi Arabia, atheists are considered terrorists, and atheism is prosecuted as a crime, with lengthy prison sentences for anyone “calling for atheist thought” or “calling into question the fundamentals of Islam.”

In Saudi Arabia there is no political freedom, no religious freedom, no freedom of speech. It is, in fact, one of the most repressive regimes in recent history, and an affront to human rights and human dignity.

Saudi Arabia does not have a written constitution or an elected legislative body. There are no elections of any kind. All political parties are banned, as are most forms of association. All critical political expression is forbidden. The press is strictly regulated, and assembly is severely restricted.

Bottom line: Saudi Arabia is a backward and brutal theocracy that should be condemned and shunned by all decent people, and all decent countries.