News - Middle East: The Human Rights Foundation urged Justin Bieber to abandon his next concert in Saudi Arabia.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) said it sent a letter to the Canadian pop singer asking him to cancel a scheduled appearance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on December 5 “in solidarity with the continuing suffering of the Saudi people.”

The HRF described the details of the Formula 1 event, which it said was licensed and funded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose family was implicated in the murder of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The letter also criticizes the regime’s treatment of dissidents, the imprisonment and torture of women’s rights activists and its executions of LGBTQ people.

HRF says Bieber and the other artists have “enormous media influence” which the Saudi prince “hopes to manipulate and exploit for his own benefit and to the detriment of the Saudi people.”

“Your performance is a component of [the prince’s] public relations initiative to whitewash its murderous brutality, “the foundation wrote in the letter.
The HRF told Bieber that if he went ahead with his show, it would “send the message that dictatorships can buy legitimacy.”

The HRF has urged other musicians to forgo performances planned in Saudi Arabia in the past.
In 2019, Nicki Minaj canceled a headlining concert at Jeddah World Fest in the region, saying it was a decision she made “after learning more about the issues.”

“I think it’s important for me to clearly express my support for women’s rights, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression,” she said at the time.

Nelly Furtado has been the subject of similar criticism after being paid more than $ 1 million by the family of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi for a private concert in 2007.

The Victoria-born singer said in 2011 that she would donate the money.