Sri Lanka has appealed to Saudi Arabia to spare 24-year-old migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa, who was sentenced to death after a Facebook comment was deemed blasphemous. Although he deleted the comment and issued an apology, screenshots were shared with his employer and Saudi authorities, leading to his arrest in July and a retrial under Sharia that upgraded his original sentence to death. The Sri Lankan government, religious leaders and a legal delegation are pursuing diplomatic and legal avenues, while the family has received no update since 28 September.
Sri Lanka Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Spare Migrant Worker Sentenced to Death Over Facebook Comment
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (fourth from right) recently met Anojan's family [President's Media Division]
"I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us," Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi cried, begging for the life of her eldest child, 24-year-old migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa.
An appellate court in Saudi Arabia convicted Anojan of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over a Facebook comment and imposed the death penalty. The verdict has reverberated across Sri Lanka, prompting public concern, civil society petitions and coordinated diplomatic appeals from political parties and government bodies.
How the Case Unfolded
The prosecution followed an online dispute sparked by footage from a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka that showed a young Muslim man kicking a dog. The incident triggered heated exchanges on social media. During the argument, another user posted insulting remarks about a Hindu deity; Anojan responded in Tamil with a comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad. He deleted the comment and later posted an apology, but screenshots were circulated and eventually brought to the attention of his employer and Saudi authorities.
Anojan was arrested in July. Saudi officials confiscated his personal devices and removed his social media accounts. The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially sentenced him to five years in prison and fined him 3 million Saudi riyals (about $0.8m; £0.6m). An appeal seeking a reduced sentence was rejected.
On 17 September, prosecutors requested that the case be reclassified from the country's cybercrime laws to prosecution under Sharia. The appellate court granted that request and upgraded the punishment to the death penalty.
Diplomatic And Legal Response
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is taking "all available steps" to assist Anojan. His family met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on 21 September; the president pledged to pursue a pardon and ordered diplomatic channels to press Saudi authorities. A four-member Sri Lankan legal delegation has travelled to Saudi Arabia to consult with the two Saudi law firms representing Anojan.
"People in Saudi Arabia knew nothing about this matter. It was individuals in Sri Lanka who sent emails to the company where my brother worked," said his brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, to BBC Sinhala.
The family has not received any update on Anojan's condition since 28 September and has been asked by Sri Lankan officials to refrain from public statements while diplomacy continues. Communication is further complicated by Saudi prison rules, which generally restrict inmates' access to personal mobile devices and channel calls through prison authorities.
Human Rights Concerns And Context
Human rights organizations have repeatedly raised concerns about harsh penalties for online speech in Saudi Arabia. In July 2023, Mohammed Al Ghamdi, a retired teacher, was initially sentenced to death over social media comments; his sentence was later overturned and replaced with a long prison term. Rights groups stress that low-wage migrant workers—more than 10 million of whom live in Saudi Arabia, according to the International Organization for Migration—face particular vulnerabilities because of language barriers and limited access to legal representation.
While executions for blasphemy are relatively uncommon compared with those for drug offences or murder in Saudi Arabia, the case highlights broader concerns about extraterritorial reach of online speech disputes and the risks faced by migrant workers abroad.
Status: Ongoing. Saudi authorities have not published an execution timeline.
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