David Farnor | On 09, Feb 2020

In 2019, Netflix sparked some controversy when it removed an episode of topical comedy series Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj from its service in Saudi Arabia, following a written demand from Saudi Arabian authorities. Now, it has officially released a list of any such titles removed in accordance with censorship demands from governments around the world.

“We also understand that as we grow, we have a responsibility to be more transparent about our impact on society and our governance structures,” said Netflix in its new Environmental Social Governance.

“We offer creators the ability to reach audiences all around the world. However, our catalog varies from country to country, including for rights reasons (i.e., we don’t have the rights to show everything in every country where we operate). In some cases we’ve also been forced to remove specific titles or episodes of titles in specific countries due to government takedown demands.”

The episode of Patriot Act was the most public example of that process, after comedian Hasan Minhaj criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the regime over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and removed this episode only in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal demand from the government – and to comply with local law,” said Netflix in a statement following the removal.

Now, the streaming giant is making completely public such requests for the first time. The list of nine titles range from 2015 to 2020, with Netflix revealing them as the only time it has pulled content for censorship reasons.

Five titles have been pulled in Singapore alone: The Last Hangover, The Last Temptation of Christ, Cooking on High, The Legend of 420 and Disjointed. George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was also pulled in Germany, as the film is banned in that country.

Netflix has pushed back against some of these challenges, mostly notably this year when controversy surrounded The First Temptation of Christ in Brazil. The satirical comedy, which depicted Jesus as gay, was ordered to be taken down by a Brazilian judge, but the Supreme Court overruled the ban after an appeal and the satire remained on Netflix in the country.

This is the full list of removed titles:

The Last Hangover (2020)
Removed in Singapore

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (2019)
Removed in Saudi Arabia

The Last Temptation of Christ (2019)
Removed in Singapore

Cooking on High (2018)
Removed in Singapore

The Legend of 420 (2018)
Removed in Singapore

Disjointed (2018)
Removed in Singapore

Full Metal Jacket (2017)
Removed in Vietnam

Night of the Living Dead (2017)
Removed in Germany

The Bridge (2015)
Removed in New Zealand

In the future, Netflix will publish a list of takedowns annually.

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