The Guardian reports on Yasser al-Khayyat, the brother of Mustafa al-Khayyat who was executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities last year, accusing Formula One of being complicit in “heinous crimes” by hosting a Grand Prix in the country.
“They use the spectacle of this sporting championship to distract from the murder of my brother and hundreds of others,” Yasser al-Khayyat wrote to the Chief Executive of F1 Stefano Domenicali. “The Grand Prix carrying on as normal, without even mentioning the atrocities that have just been committed on that same soil, legitimises these heinous crimes.
“Silence is complicity. It is how the regime gets away with its atrocities and suppresses calls for democratic reforms. If you truly want Formula One to be an agent for change, rather than a tool to ‘sportswash’ Saudi abuses, please end Formula One’s silence.”