The comment was reportedly screenshotted and passed to Saudi authorities and to his employer, which led to his arrest
18:24 ET, 08 Oct 2026Updated 10:32 ET, 09 Oct 2026
Anojan Sivarasa was first handed a five-year prison term and a fine of three million Saudi riyals
A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for a Facebook comment deemed blasphemous, and his family say that they have not heard from him since Sept. 28.
Anojan Sivarasa was first handed a five-year prison term and a fine of three million Saudi riyals under the kingdom’s cybercrime law. On Sept. 17, prosecutors asked for him to be tried under Sharia law, instead. An appeals court then raised his sentence to death.
Saudi authorities have not set an execution date. It comes after a teen did an unthinkablly evil act to his own mother after they argued over his shocking Facebook posts.
The comment was reportedly screenshotted and passed to Saudi authorities and to his employer, which led to his arrest in July.
Humanists U.K. has called on the British government to act immediately.
On Sept. 17, prosecutors asked for him to be tried under Sharia law(Image: X)
On Wednesday, it launched a petition urging ministers to press Saudi Arabia to overturn the sentence. The case has prompted fresh calls for intervention.
Andrew Copson, the charity’s chief executive, said the Foreign Secretary should raise the case with Saudi officials “at the highest level.”
“Everyone has the right to speak freely about religion, and no one should ever face punishment for doing so, much less be put to death. And yet, Anojan Sivarasa has been condemned to die because of a post made on Facebook,” Copson said.
He also urged the U.K. government to use its influence to push for the repeal of blasphemy laws in countries that still have them. The Sri Lankan government is seeking a pardon for Sivarasa.
In September, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met the family and promised his government would do everything in its power to secure his release. A four-person legal delegation has also been sent to Saudi Arabia to meet the lawyers handling the case.
Pressure is building at home, too. Religious leaders and civil society groups in Sri Lanka have demanded action, and Buddhist and Hindu leaders have sent a memo to the presidential secretariat.
Sivarasa’s brother, Hamsidan, told the BBC that the family contacted the Sri Lankan embassy once communication with Anojan stopped.
“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,” Hamsidan told BBC Sinhala.
Human rights groups have long criticized Saudi Arabia for harsh punishments over online speech. Executions for blasphemy are believed to be less common than those for offenses such as drug crimes and murder.
It comes after another sickening Facebook horror, with a man doing a horrifying act to his own baby live on the platform.