Saudi Arabia has been urged to spare the life of a 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker who has been sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over a Facebook post.
Anojan Sivarasa's family have not heard from him for more than a week. "I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us," said his mother, Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi, speaking through tears.
The case has caused widespread concern in Sri Lanka, with civil society groups and political parties coordinating diplomatic efforts to seek clemency. However, the family has received no updates since September 28, and the Sri Lankan government has advised them to refrain from making further public statements.
Saudi authorities have not announced an execution timeline, and it is unclear when the sentence might be carried out. The kingdom has a history of executing individuals without prior notification to families or foreign embassies.
Anojan was prosecuted following a dispute on social media that originated from an incident during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. Footage of a Muslim man kicking a dog that was following Hindu pilgrims circulated online, leading to religious arguments. During this exchange, Anojan posted a response in Tamil insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
Although Anojan promptly deleted the comment and posted an apology video, it was screenshotted and shared with his employer and Saudi officials, resulting in his arrest in July. His personal devices were confiscated, and his social media accounts were deleted by Saudi authorities.
"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," Anojan's brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, told BBC Sinhala.
The company that employed Anojan notified the Saudi authorities, who then registered a case against him, according to Hamsidan.
Initially, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court sentenced Anojan to five years in prison and a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals (approximately $0.8 million; £0.6 million). An appeal to reduce his sentence was rejected.
The case took a significant turn on September 17 when Saudi prosecutors appealed for Anojan to be prosecuted under Sharia law instead of the country's cybercrime legislation. The appellate court approved this request, increasing his sentence to death.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that all available steps are being taken to assist Anojan. His family met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on September 21, who assured them that the government would make every effort to obtain a general pardon and instructed diplomatic channels to engage with Saudi authorities.
The case has garnered cross-religious support in Sri Lanka. Senior Buddhist leaders and Hindu religious leaders have submitted a memorandum to the Presidential Secretariat calling for urgent state intervention.
A four-member Sri Lankan legal delegation is traveling to Saudi Arabia this week to meet with Anojan's local defense lawyers. "There are two law firms in Saudi Arabia handling Anojan's case. We are going there to meet the lawyers from these two firms, discuss the case and plan what can be done next," said Upul Kumarapperuma, a Member of Parliament and part of the delegation, to BBC Sinhala.
Communication between Anojan and his family has ceased. "My brother hasn't called for two days," Hamsidan said on September 28. "We informed the embassy and asked officials to look into the matter and update us. They said they would check. We are still waiting, as we have not yet received a response."
In Saudi prisons, inmates on death row typically lose access to personal mobile devices, with formal calls strictly facilitated through prison authorities.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concerns about severe sentences for online speech in Saudi Arabia. In July 2023, Mohammed Al Ghamdi, a retired Saudi school teacher, was sentenced to death for comments made on social media platforms, according to the United Nations. Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, described the sentence as "ludicrous."
Al Ghamdi's ruling was later overturned, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to ALQST for human rights.
There are over 10 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Rights groups highlight that low-wage migrant workers face particular vulnerabilities within the Saudi legal system due to language barriers and a lack of adequate legal representation.
Executions for blasphemy are relatively rare in Saudi Arabia compared to those for drug offenses or murder.
