A 24-year-old man from Sri Lanka has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after posting a comment on Facebook about the Prophet Muhammad. The man, who is a migrant worker in the country, is said to have insulted the Prophet during a heated discussion about religion. He then deleted the comment shortly afterward and publicly apologized, but that did not help. His punishment was a fine of eight million SEK, five years in prison, and beheading.

Now, the Sri Lankan government is attempting to stop a possible execution of 24-year-old Anojan Sivarasa, while Amnesty International is demanding that the death sentence be overturned.

In Saudi Arabia, the death penalty can still be carried out by beheading with a sword, a method rooted in older Islamic legal traditions and still part of the country’s legal order.

Anojan Sivarasa had worked in Saudi Arabia for less than a year when he was arrested in early July. The background was a social media discussion sparked after a video was shared showing a man kicking a stray dog that had accompanied Hindu pilgrims.

During the discussion, a derogatory comment about a Hindu god was posted. Sivarasa responded with a comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Initially prison and fine

The migrant worker soon deleted the post and published a video where he apologized and expressed remorse. But a screenshot of the comment had already been sent to his employer and forwarded to the Saudi police.

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On July 27, Sivarasa was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of three million Saudi riyals, equivalent to about eight million SEK, under Saudi Arabia’s cybercrime law.

Appealed to be tried under Sharia law

On September 17, the prosecutor appealed and requested that Sivarasa’s Facebook post be tried under Sharia law. The appeals court agreed and sentenced him to death for blasphemy. Sivarasa has appealed the death sentence.

Amnesty International strongly reacts to the fact that the sentence could be changed so quickly. The organization also states that Sivarasa did not have access to a lawyer from his arrest until the first verdict. Amnesty demands that Saudi Arabia overturn the sentence.

“No one should be imprisoned, let alone risk execution, simply for expressing their opinions, even if these are considered insulting or offensive.”

– Amnesty International

Amnesty argues that the case also highlights a bigger problem with how the death penalty is used in Saudi Arabia. According to the organization, at least 175 people had been executed in the country as of October 5 this year. At least 94 of them were foreign nationals from more than 20 countries.

Sentencing a man to death for a social media post is a chilling illustration of the Saudi authorities’ willingness to use this cruel and irreversible punishment, even for acts that should never be criminalized.

– Amnesty International

Sri Lanka tries to save his life

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government is working to have the sentence changed. A legal team has been sent to Saudi Arabia, and the government is working with two legal teams on site. A parliamentary delegation is also expected to travel to Riyadh with an appeal for mercy.

It is stated that Sivarasa must, of course, respect the laws of the country where he works, but the proportionality of the death penalty for what he did on Facebook regarding the Prophet Muhammad is being questioned.

Sivarasa’s family, meanwhile, has received no updates about him since September 28. However, no date for a possible execution has yet been announced.

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