diff --color -ruN a/mesonpy/__init__.py b/mesonpy/__init__.py

--- a/mesonpy/__init__.py	2024-06-05 11:10:53.628398345 +0200

+++ b/mesonpy/__init__.py	2024-06-05 11:31:13.600792738 +0200

@@ -410,6 +410,7 @@

                 # directory, in the form of a relative RPATH entry. meson-python

                 # relocates the shared libraries to the $project.mesonpy.libs

                 # folder. Rewrite the RPATH to point to that folder instead.

+                assert False, "Patchelf is not allowed to run on RHEL" 

                 libspath = os.path.relpath(self._libs_dir, destination.parent)

                 mesonpy._rpath.fix_rpath(origin, libspath)

@@ -1007,9 +1008,6 @@

     if os.environ.get('NINJA') is None and _env_ninja_command() is None:

         dependencies.append(f'ninja >= {_NINJA_REQUIRED_VERSION}')

-    if sys.platform.startswith('linux') and not shutil.which('patchelf'):

-        dependencies.append('patchelf >= 0.11.0')

-

     return dependencies

diff --color -ruN a/mesonpy/_rpath.py b/mesonpy/_rpath.py

--- a/mesonpy/_rpath.py	2024-06-05 11:10:53.628398345 +0200

+++ b/mesonpy/_rpath.py	2024-06-05 11:31:18.954861673 +0200

@@ -17,12 +17,13 @@

 if sys.platform == 'linux':

-

     def _get_rpath(filepath: Path) -> List[str]:

+        assert False, "Patchelf is not allowed to run on RHEL" 

         r = subprocess.run(['patchelf', '--print-rpath', os.fspath(filepath)], capture_output=True, text=True)

         return r.stdout.strip().split(':')

     def _set_rpath(filepath: Path, rpath: Iterable[str]) -> None:

+        assert False, "Patchelf is not allowed to run on RHEL" 

         subprocess.run(['patchelf','--set-rpath', ':'.join(rpath), os.fspath(filepath)], check=True)

     def fix_rpath(filepath: Path, libs_relative_path: str) -> None: