Mayor Sadiq Khan has been criticised after adverts promoting tourism in Saudi Arabia appeared on the Transport for London (TfL) Network despite restrictions on advertising by countries with poor human rights records.
In 2019, TfL suspended advertising by eleven countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan, that were on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s (ILGA’s) list of countries where being LGBTQ+ could result in the death penalty.
Despite the suspension however, posters funded by the state-owned Saudi Tourism Authority urging Londoners to visit the kingdom were spotted at Canning Town Station last month.
In response to a question in July about the policy, Mayor Khan denied it was a ban.
'This is not an advertising ban on those countries, but by using TfL’s advertising policy, it allows TfL to consider and make decisions on these advertisements on a case-by-case basis.'
Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon called the advertising campaign a ‘disgrace’ and urged the mayor to clarify the policy.
‘Authoritarian states that hold the death penalty for members of the LGBTQ+ community simply for being who they are, among other serious human rights concerns, have no place promoting themselves on TfL property,’ she said.
‘The mayor and TfL must come clean on whether they are still applying their previous policy and if they are they must ensure it is actually being enforced without inconsistency.’
A TfL spokesperson said: 'As of 2019, all adverts that reference countries identified by the ILGA as either having “legal certainty” of the death penalty for same-sex sexual acts, or that most probably have the death penalty but where there is less legal certainty, are referred to TfL for consideration.
'This is not an advertising ban on those countries, but by using TfL’s advertising policy, it allows TfL to consider and make decisions on these advertisements on a case-by-case basis. All creatives are evaluated in accordance with TfL's advertising policy.'
