Saudi Arabia to scrap pre-censorship of books

Publishers told to apply online for instant clearance as they wait for fair’s return

Readers browsing at the 2015 edition of Riyadh International Book Fair (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty)

Saudi Arabia will no longer seek to impose censorship on books before they get distributed in the kingdom as the government seeks to boost the culture sector.

The Ministry of Media and the General Commission of Audiovisual Media (GCAM) announced Saturday lau…