24-year-old Sri Lankan man sentenced to death for blasphemy in Saudi Arabia

24-year-old Sri Lankan Anojan Sivarasa embarked on his career barely a year ago, as he moved to Saudi Arabia to work as a technical engineer at a battery factory.

In a shocking turn of events, he now faces execution for posting an alleged blasphemous comment on Facebook.

The case has sent shockwaves across Sri Lanka and sparked widespread concern, with multiple political parties, civil society groups and religious leaders seeking clemency for the young Hindu man.

Let's break this down further for you.

His ordeal started in June with a viral video showing a Muslim man kicking a stray dog accompanying Hindu pilgrims. This sparked a debate online.

After a user allegedly posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity, Anojan posted a response in Tamil, which was deemed insulting to Prophet Mohammed.

While he subsequently deleted the comment and even posted a video apology expressing remorse, some users took a screenshot of his comment and sent it to his employers.

After being arrested in July, he was prosecuted within weeks and sentenced to five years in jail and fined eight hundred thousand US dollars under the country's cybercrime law.

However, the prosecutors filed an appeal, seeking Anojan to be tried under Sharia law.

Less than two months later, he was sentenced to death.

While Saudi officials are yet to announce a timeline for his execution, his parents have not received any update about their son since September 28.

On its part, the Sri Lankan government has reportedly assured his family that it would leave no stone unturned to obtain a pardon for Anojan.

The country's Foreign Minister Vijetha Herath revealed that a parliamentary delegation would soon travel to Riyadh, with a clemency appeal from the president himself.

At the same time, Sri Lankan officials are also working with two legal teams in Saudi Arabia to overturn the death penalty.

Additionally, six minority lawmakers have written to the Saudi foreign minister, seeking clemency for the 24-year-old man.

Now, Amnesty International has also taken up this matter.

It urged Saudi Arabia's government to overturn Anojan's death penalty and immediately release him, citing his right to freedom of expression.

The organisation said, and I am quoting it, "Saudi authorities should immediately establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, as a first move towards its full abolition."

Now, this case also assumes significance in the wake of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia is the third-highest executioner after China and Iran.

Last year alone, it carried out a record 356 executions.

Until July 2026, at least 175 more people have been put to death. This includes 94 foreign nationals from over twenty countries.

This raises a larger question.

Can a mere social media post justify a punishment as drastic as the death penalty?

With his parents pleading for mercy, all eyes are now on Saudi Arabia's next course of action.