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A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker is facing execution in Saudi Arabia after an appellate court convicted him of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over a Facebook comment, a case that has triggered widespread outcry in his home country and prompted coordinated diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
Anojan Sivarasa, the eldest son of Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi, was initially prosecuted under Saudi Arabia's cybercrime legislation, but his sentence was escalated to the death penalty on 17 September after prosecutors successfully appealed for him to be tried under Sharia law instead.
Speaking through tears, Yogalakshmi made a desperate appeal for her son's life. "I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us," she said.
The family has received no updates on Anojan's condition since 28 September, and the Sri Lankan government has instructed them to refrain from making further public statements while diplomatic channels remain active. Saudi authorities have not published an official execution timeline, and it remains unclear when — or whether — the sentence will be carried out. The kingdom has a history of conducting executions without prior warning to families or foreign embassies, notifying relatives only after the fact.
The case traces back to a dispute on social media following an incident during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. In late June, footage circulated widely online showing a young Muslim man kicking a dog that had been following Hindu pilgrims, sparking heated religious arguments across social platforms. During the exchange, another user posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity, prompting Anojan to respond in Tamil with a comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
According to accounts provided by his family, Anojan deleted the comment promptly and posted an apology video. Despite this, the post was screenshotted and forwarded to his employer and Saudi officials, leading to his arrest in July. His personal devices were seized, and Saudi authorities deleted his social media accounts.
Anojan's brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, said the matter only reached Saudi authorities because individuals in Sri Lanka chose to escalate it. "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. I do not even wish to mention who those people are," he told BBC Sinhala. The company employing Anojan then notified Saudi authorities, who registered a case against him.
The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially handed down a sentence of five years in prison along with a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to roughly $0.8 million or £0.6 million. An appeal seeking to reduce that sentence was rejected, according to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. The prosecution's subsequent appeal for a Sharia-based prosecution dramatically altered the trajectory of the case, resulting in the appellate court granting the request and imposing the death penalty.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka has confirmed it is pursuing all available avenues to assist Anojan. His family met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on 21 September, where the president assured them the government would spare no effort to obtain a general pardon, instructing diplomatic channels to engage Saudi authorities directly.
The case has drawn support across Sri Lanka's religious communities. Senior Buddhist leaders — the Mahanayake Theros of the Ramanna Nikaya and the Amarapura Maha Nikaya — joined Hindu religious leaders in handing over a memorandum to the Presidential Secretariat calling for urgent state intervention. Multiple political parties and government bodies have coordinated diplomatic efforts seeking clemency.
A four-member Sri Lankan legal delegation is travelling to Saudi Arabia this week to meet with Anojan's local defence 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, President's Counsel and a member of the team, speaking to BBC Sinhala.
Meanwhile, communication between Anojan and his family has ceased entirely. Hamsidan said on 28 September that his brother had not called for two days. "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," he said. In Saudi prisons, inmates on death row typically lose access to personal mobile devices, with formal calls strictly facilitated through prison authorities.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly voiced concerns about severe sentences imposed for online speech in Saudi Arabia. In July 2023, Mohammed Al Ghamdi, a retired Saudi school teacher, was sentenced to death over comments posted on multiple social media platforms, according to the United Nations. At the time, Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, described the ruling as "ludicrous," noting that Al Ghamdi had just 10 followers across his two anonymous Twitter accounts and was accused of nothing beyond expressing opinions on social media. That ruling was later overturned, and Al Ghamdi was resentenced to 30 years in prison, according to ALQST, an independent non-governmental organisation defending human rights in Saudi Arabia.
The case has highlighted the vulnerability of the more than 10 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, many of whom originate from South Asian countries including Sri Lanka. Migrant workers in the kingdom often lack robust legal protections and can face severe consequences for actions that might carry lesser penalties elsewhere.
In Sri Lanka, petitions and civil society campaigns have gained momentum, with religious leaders, legal experts and ordinary citizens calling on the government to intensify its diplomatic push. The outcome remains uncertain, but the case has become a focal point for concerns about the treatment of migrant workers and the limits of free expression in Saudi Arabia.
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