24-Year-Old Sri Lankan Worker Faces Death in Saudi Arabia Over Facebook Comment

A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa, is facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia after an appellate court convicted him of blasphemy over a Facebook comment allegedly deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. His case has triggered urgent legal and diplomatic efforts by Sri Lankan authorities to prevent his execution.

Sivarasa, who is from Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, was arrested on July 1, 2026, after Saudi authorities became aware of the social-media comment. According to Amnesty International, he told a judge that he made the comment in anger, later deleted it and published a video apologising for what he had written.

Reports from Sri Lankan and international media indicate that the controversy began with an online dispute in Sri Lanka involving a viral video connected to the annual Pada Yatra pilgrimage. The argument subsequently developed into an exchange of religiously offensive comments, during which Sivarasa reportedly posted the Facebook remark that became the basis of the Saudi case.

Although Sivarasa removed the comment and apologised, a screenshot had reportedly been preserved and circulated. According to accounts from his family, the screenshot was sent to his employer in Saudi Arabia, eventually bringing the matter to the attention of Saudi authorities.

The case initially resulted in a five-year prison sentence and a fine of three million Saudi riyals, approximately US$800,000. The sentence was handed down by the Criminal Court in Al-Ahsa under Article 6 of Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cybercrime Law, according to Amnesty International.

The case then took a dramatic turn on appeal. On September 17, the Court of Appeal in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region increased the punishment to death, treating the alleged offence as a hadd crime under Sharia, according to Amnesty International. Sivarasa has appealed the death sentence.

The escalation has raised serious concerns among human-rights organisations about due process and the use of capital punishment for speech-related offences. Amnesty said Sivarasa was denied access to a lawyer from the time of his arrest until his initial sentencing and has called on Saudi authorities to overturn the conviction and release him.

Sri Lanka has meanwhile stepped up efforts to secure his release. Reports indicate that Colombo is pursuing an appeal through Saudi Arabia’s legal system while also engaging the Saudi authorities diplomatically. A Sri Lankan legal delegation has travelled to Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to prepare and pursue the next stage of the case.

The case has also drawn attention to Saudi Arabia’s wider use of the death penalty. Amnesty International reported that at least 175 people had been executed in Saudi Arabia by October 5, 2026, including at least 94 foreign nationals from more than 20 countries. The organisation has criticised the imposition of death sentences for non-violent offences and urged the Saudi authorities to establish a moratorium on executions.

For Sivarasa and his family, the case now rests on the outcome of the available legal and diplomatic processes. What began as a social-media dispute thousands of kilometres away has developed into a capital case in Saudi Arabia, with Sri Lankan officials and rights organisations pressing for intervention while the 24-year-old remains at risk of execution.