Sri Lankan worker facing death in Saudi Arabia over Facebook post

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 7 Oct, 20:08 · Archive

A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for a Facebook comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Anojan Sivarasa, 24, a migrant worker from Sri Lanka, has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after being found guilty of blasphemy over a Facebook comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The case began in June when a viral video showed a man kicking a dog that had been following Hindu pilgrims during a religious event in Sri Lanka. The footage sparked religious arguments online. When one Facebook user posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity, Anojan responded with a comment in Tamil insulting the Prophet Muhammad. He deleted the post immediately and posted an apology video, but screenshots of his original comment were taken and sent to his employer, who notified Saudi authorities.

Anojan was arrested in July after being in Saudi Arabia for less than a year. The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially sentenced him to five years in prison and fined him 3 million Saudi riyals, approximately £600,000, under the country's cybercrime law. His family lodged an appeal to reduce the sentence.

However, Saudi prosecutors filed their own appeal on 17 September, requesting that Anojan be tried under Sharia law instead. The court granted this request, and Anojan was subsequently handed the death penalty. His brother Hamsidan Sivarasa has said that people in Saudi Arabia knew nothing of the matter and that it was individuals in Sri Lanka who sent emails to Anojan's employer.

The case has sparked widespread concern in Sri Lanka, with multiple political parties, civil society petitions and government bodies coordinating diplomatic efforts seeking clemency. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed the government is taking all available steps to assist Anojan. Colombo has sent a four-member legal team to Riyadh to finalise an appeal against the death sentence, and six lawmakers from minority Tamil-speaking political parties wrote to Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud seeking mercy.

Anojan's family have not heard from him since 28 September. Saudi Arabia has a history of carrying out executions without warning families or foreign embassies, only informing relatives after the sentence has been carried out. Saudi authorities have not published an official execution timeline.

How it is being reported

• Man sentenced to death over Facebook comment as family makes tearful pleaAnojan Sivarasa, 24, has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after comments he made during a Facebook row over a video of a young man kicking a dogThe Mirror · 7 Oct, 16:55
• Saudi Arabia has sentenced a foreign worker to death over a Facebook post. Why isn’t there a bigger outcry?Sri Lanka’s government has sent a legal team to appeal directly to the authorities in Saudi Arabia. But Sri Lankan MPs tell Alisha Rahaman Sarkar they are surprised by the lack of international attention on the caseIndependent World · 7 Oct, 13:46
• Saudi Arabia urged to spare man sentenced to death over Facebook postAnojan Sivarasa faces execution after he was found guilty of blasphemy over a Facebook comment.BBC News · 5 Oct, 23:28

In this story: Anojan Sivarasa · Sri Lanka · Saudi Arabia · Vijitha Herath · Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud

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