Saudi Arabia: Culture minister removed

Minister of culture and information Abdelaziz Bin Mohieddin Khoja was relieved of his post on 5 November, the day after he suspended a controversial television channel, Wesal TV, known for its anti-Shiite broadcasts. A short statement on the state news agency SPA said Khoja had left his post “at his request”, and that King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz had assigned Hajj minister Bandar Bin Mohammed Al-Hajjar to take on the culture and information portfolio. Khoja’s move to ban Wesal was announced on his Twitter account on 4 November – the day after a terrorist attack on Shiites killed eight people and wounded 12 in the Eastern Province.