Sri Lankan migrant faces death sentence in Saudi for blasphemy
Anojan Sivarasa, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, is facing the death penalty after a Facebook comment was ruled blasphemous against Prophet Muhammad.
What started as a five-year prison sentence and fine was raised to capital punishment after an appeal.
Now, Sri Lankan officials and human rights groups are urging for mercy and trying to get Sivarasa's sentence reduced.
Anojan Sivarasa detained, government seeks clemency
Back in June 2026, an online argument about a viral video led to Sivarasa's comment, which was reported by people in Sri Lanka to Sivarasa's employer in Saudi Arabia.
Even though Sivarasa deleted the post and apologized, Sivarasa was arrested on July 1 and later sentenced under sharia law.
As of now, Sivarasa remains in custody while Sivarasa's family pleads for help and the Sri Lankan government pushes for clemency through diplomatic channels.