Some of the biggest American names in comedy have signed up to perform at a festival in Saudi Arabia, and they’re being urged to speak out against the country’s human rights abuses — and not to be “complicit in covering up the abuses of a repressive regime,” by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch organization.

Saudi Arabia will host the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which organizers say will be the “world’s largest comedy festival,” from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9. Some of North America’s most popular comedians, along with comics from Europe and elsewhere, are featured on the bill, including Dave Chapelle, Kevin Hart and Bill Burr.

The festival will be the latest in a series of sports and cultural events hosted by Saudi Arabia’s government that critics say amount to an effort to obscure the country’s reputation for rampant human rights abuses.

“The Saudi government has invested billions into high profile entertainment events like these in a deliberate effort to whitewash the country’s human rights record and deflect from the egregious abuses that continue to happen inside of the country,” Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea told CBS News. “These investments are a part of the broader strategy to… have people thinking about a comedy event, for example, rather than the soaring number of executions that are happening inside of the country.”

HRW noted specifically the state execution of journalist Turki Al-Jasser, who was killed in June following seven years of detention after reportedly being identified as the author of several anonymous tweets criticizing the Saudi royal family.

Al-Jasser had been convicted of terrorism and high treason on the basis of posts he was accused of authoring, according to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. Reporters Without Borders, an organization that works to protect journalists, branded the charges against him as “false.”

“This execution of a journalist went forward to very little international criticism and this is clearly a result of these billions that had been invested in the country’s whitewashing strategy,” Shea said.

When asked whether they believed the comedians would be able to freely tell jokes at the festival, the HRW researcher predicted there would be clear red lines drawn by organizers to prevent any criticism of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, who has already taken over as ruler of the highly conservative Islamic kingdom, as well as his policies and the broader royal family.

Shea called on the high-profile entertainers attending the event — funding for which comes from the Saudi government’s General Entertainment Authority — to mitigate the positive effect that their presence might have on the country’s reputation for human rights abuses, including by “speaking out about the abuses.”

Tom Dillon, one of the comedians scheduled to perform at the Riyadh festival, claimed on his podcast that he’s being paid $315,000 for a single show, and that some of his more famous colleagues would receive around $1.6 million for their appearances. 

CBS News has contacted the publicists representing billed attendees Bill Burr, Mark Normand, Kevin Hart, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dave Chapelle, Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Tom Segura, Andrew Schulz and Jim Jeffries, but has received no comment from any of them regarding their expected appearances in Saudi Arabia.

CBS News asked Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on HRW’s assertions, but has not received a response.

One of the highest-profile cases of the Saudis’ purported efforts to change their image came in 2021, with the launch of LIV Golf, a golf league that saw seasoned professionals defect from the famed PGA Tour in exchange for highly profitable contracts. 

Critics accused the golfers of helping the Saudi government to “sportswash” its reputation, only three years after Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the county’s leadership, was brutally murdered inside a Saudi diplomatic office in Istanbul, Turkey. 

A CIA report concluded with a medium to high degree of confidence that the killing was likely carried out at bin Salman’s orders. 

In a 2019 interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, bin Salman denied ordering Khashoggi’s assassination, but said he took responsibility for it.

Angela Levin, a royal expert and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s major critic, has reacted after the duke defended his tell-all autobiography “Spare.”

In an interview with the Guardian, Prince Harry insisted he had no regrets after its publication more than two years ago sowed discord within the British royal family.

As per the AFP, Harry told the Guardian newspaper in an interview released on Sunday: “I don´t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public.

“It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear.”

Harry had quit royal duties in 2020, moving to California with his wife Meghan.

Harry, who despite having stepped back from royal affairs still holds the title of Duke of Sussex, insisted “Spare” was “not about revenge”.

“It is about accountability,” he said.

“I know that (speaking out) annoys some people and it goes against the narrative,” Harry told the paper.

“The book? It was a series of corrections to stories already out there. One point of view had been put out and it needed to be corrected.”

Reacting to the Duke’s remarks, Angela tweeted, “Prince Harry is 41 today. His behaviour is childish. He doesn’t “believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public”.

“Was it just his family’s then?”

Emergency room saga “The Pitt” was toasted as the year’s best television drama, and show-business satire “The Studio” was crowned best comedy, as Hollywood stars handed out trophies at the annual Emmy Awards on Sunday.

HBO series “The Pitt” was the upset winner over “Severance,” a surreal commentary on corporate power that went into the red-carpet ceremony in Los Angeles with the most nominations.

“The Pitt” star Noah Wyle earned his first Emmy, taking the prize for best drama actor. He had previously been nominated five times for his role in the medical drama “ER,” but never won.

“Wow. What a dream this has been,” Wyle said on stage, before thanking healthcare workers. “To anyone going on shift or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job.”

Seth Rogen, star and co-creator of “The Studio,” also claimed his first Emmy for best comedy actor, along with others for directing and writing the Apple TV+ (AAPL.O), opens new tab show with his producing partner, Evan Goldberg.

“I’m legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me,” Rogen said as he held the comedy series trophy.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was celebrated as best talk series for the first time in its decade-long run.

CBS , the network that broadcast the Emmys, announced in July it was cancelling the show for financial reasons, a decision that sparked an outcry.

A smiling Colbert offered gratitude to his employer on Sunday. “I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege of being part of the late-night tradition, which I hope continues for a long time,” Colbert said.

Earlier, when presenting an award, Colbert joked about needing a job. “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” he asked the audience.

“Adolescence,” a dark Netflix story about a teen accused of murder, received the best limited series honor.

Its 15-year-old star, Owen Cooper, was named best supporting actor in a limited series, becoming the youngest winner in that category.

The English actor said he started taking drama classes a couple of years back. “If you listen and you focus and step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything,” Cooper said. “I was nothing three years ago.”

In other awards, Jeff Hiller was the surprise winner of best supporting comedy actor for the HBO show “Somebody Somewhere.” Hiller thanked HBO executives for “putting sweaty, middle-aged people on the same network as the sexy teens of ‘Euphoria.'”

“Hacks” stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder claimed actress and supporting actress awards in the comedy field. Their show tells the story of a comedian who clashes with the network that airs her late-night talk show.

The award was Smart’s fourth Emmy for the “Hacks” role and the first for Einbinder, despite three previous nominations. Einbinder said she had convinced herself that “it was cooler to lose.”

“This is cool, too,” she said with a smile, before ending her speech with “Free Palestine,” one of the few political moments of the night.

HBO and Netflix led all networks with 30 Emmy Awards each this year. Apple TV+ received 22.

Winners were chosen by the roughly 26,000 performers, directors, producers, and other members of the Television Academy.

First-time host Nate Bargatze offered an incentive for honorees during the live ceremony on CBS to keep their speeches short. The comedian promised a $100,000 donation to charity but warned he would reduce the amount each time a speaker exceeded their allotted 45 seconds.

At the end of the show, Bargatze announced that long-winded remarks had left his charitable fund in deficit. He said he and CBS would, however, donate $350,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America