News - Middle East: Noor Riyadh festival raises questions about the use of art to wash the image of a country (Saudi Arabia) famous for arresting and killing opponents, AFP reported.

The agency stated that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, brought 130 artists from 40 countries to participate in the festival.

It pointed out that the Riyadh season also comes in an attempt to polish its image in front of the world.

As with various other fairs in the Kingdom, the festival raises questions about “artwashing,” or the use of arts to whitewash the image of a country known for silencing dissent.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has come under fire for extremely long prison sentences for two women who tweeted and retweeted material critical of the government.

These provisions undermine the central goal of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda: to soften the Kingdom’s tough image.

Noor Riyadh installations generally avoid sending political messages, while many highlight climate change’s ravages.

Human rights organizations said that the launch of the activities of the Riyadh season for entertainment is an attempt to draw attention through electronic campaigns to hide the ugly direction of the Saudi regime.

In a statement, human rights organizations shed light on the reality of human rights, especially prisoners of conscience, and the judicial stance towards the other issues.

Sanad said that the events coincide with the regime's insistence in Saudi Arabia on arbitrary sentences for dozens of prisoners of conscience, including 12 death sentences. The organization indicated in a statement that the number of detainees threatened with the death penalty amounts to about 40 detainees.

It stressed that the reality of human rights has been constantly declining since Mohammed bin Salman assumed the position of Saudi Crown Prince.

The organization warned that the situation is escalated, whether in light of arrests, repression, abuse and arbitrary sentences that the judiciary resorts to against innocent prisoners of conscience.

It indicated that the events were to cover up his failures and horrific crimes in entertainment events and the Riyadh season, to distract the world from the abuse that is being done against prisoners of conscience.