Sri Lankan Man Faces Execution in Saudi Arabia Over Facebook Comment Sparking Diplomatic Appeals

A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa, is facing execution by hanging in Saudi Arabia following a controversial comment he made on Facebook regarding Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The incident originated from an online dispute during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka, where Sivarasa posted a response in Tamil after another user insulted a Hindu deity. Although he quickly deleted the comment and issued a video apology, individuals in Sri Lanka reported his post to his employer in Saudi Arabia, leading to his arrest in July. Initially sentenced by a criminal court to five years in prison and a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals ($800,000) under cybercrime laws, prosecutors successfully requested his retrial under Sharia law, resulting in a death sentence. The Sri Lankan government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, alongside religious leaders and human rights advocates, is actively pursuing diplomatic intervention and sending a legal delegation to Saudi Arabia to secure a pardon, while his family remains deeply concerned having lost contact with him since late September.