A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa, is facing the deathpenalty in Saudi Arabia after an appellate court found him guilty of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over a comment he made on Facebook.
Anojian was arrested in July after a religious dispute erupted online following an incident involving Hindu pilgrims in Sri Lanka. During the exchange, a user reportedly made derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity, prompting Anojan to respond in Tamil with an insulting comment about Prophet Muhammad. He later deleted the comment and posted an apology video, but screenshots were reportedly sent to his employer and Saudi authorities.
According to his brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, people in Saudi Arabia were initially unaware of the matter, as individuals in Sri Lanka reportedly sent emails about the post to the company where Anojan worked. The company subsequently notified Saudi authorities, who registered a case against him.
