Human Rights Watch said it will not accept donations from comedians who performed at the recent Riyadh Comedy Festival.
Before the Saudi Arabia-backed event, which ran from Sept. 26 through Thursday, the organization urged the comedians to call for the release of Saudi activists Waleed Abu al-Khair and Manahel al-Otaibi.
The human rights nonprofit noted Wednesday that “none appear to have publicly done so.”
Some comedians who performed have indicated their desire to donate part or all of their earnings from the event, including Aziz Ansari and Jessica Kirson.
In an appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday, Mr. Ansari said “part of the fee should go to support causes that support free press and human rights,” naming Human Rights Watch as an organization to donate to.
“Aziz Ansari and other comedians have generously offered to donate part of their performance fees to rights groups like Human Rights Watch, but while we cannot accept, it is not too late for them to call for the release of detained Saudi activists,” said Joey Shea, who researches Saudi Arabia for Human Rights Watch.
In addition, accepting money from Riyadh Comedy Festival performers “could create the perception that somehow we compromised our independence after the fact,” Arvind Ganesan, who oversees fundraising for Human Rights Watch, told Variety.
Mr. Ganesan also told the publication that to his knowledge the organization had not taken donations from or been contacted by any of the comedians who performed at the festival.
Ms. Kirson, who is lesbian, donated her earnings instead to the Human Rights Campaign, which focuses on advocating for LGBTQ people, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“To my knowledge, I am the first openly gay comic to talk about it on stage in Saudi Arabia. I received messages from attendees sharing how much it meant to them to participate in a gay-affirming event. At the same time, I deeply regret participating under the auspices of the Saudi government,” Ms. Kirson told The Hollywood Reporter.
