HRW Urges Saudi Arabia to Reverse Death Sentence for Sri Lankan Worker
The Saudi Court of Appeal in the Eastern Region has sentenced 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa to death following a Facebook comment deemed blasphemous by authorities, Human Rights Watch reported.
Sivarasa Faces Arrest After Facebook Comment
Sivarasa had arrived in Saudi Arabia to work in construction just 10 months prior to his arrest and served as the sole breadwinner for his family in Sri Lanka. On June 28, 2026, he replied to a Facebook video with a Tamil comment that some viewers deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. A relative told Human Rights Watch that a screenshot of the post was apparently sent to Sivarasa’s employer and Saudi authorities after the comment gained attention. Sivarasa deleted the comment, posted an apology video, but was detained by his employer for at least 24 hours before being taken to the Dammam police station and arrested on July 1.
The Al-Ahsa Public Prosecution charged Sivarasa with verbally insulting the Prophet Muhammad and producing material prejudicial to religious values and public morals under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law. On July 27, the Criminal Court of Al-Ahsa initially convicted Sivarasa and sentenced him to five years in prison, a 3 million Saudi riyal fine, the confiscation of his electronic device, and the closure of his Facebook account. Both the prosecution and Sivarasa’s lawyer appealed the initial ruling. On September 17, following two court sessions, the Court of Appeal in the Eastern Region overturned the prison term and sentenced Sivarasa to death. Documents reviewed by Human Rights Watch show the court found him guilty of verbally insulting the Prophet Muhammad on social media. A family member said, “We never expected this situation.” Additionally, a prisoner attacked Sivarasa in detention with a small weapon on October 5, injuring his head and face before he received medical attention and was moved to a different cell.
Human Rights Watch Response
Human Rights Watch urged Saudi authorities to reverse the judgment and release Sivarasa immediately.
Sentencing a migrant worker to death over a Facebook comment that he has publicly apologized for is an outrageous overreaction from Saudi authorities amid a surge in executions
said Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, adding that no person should face execution for a comment on religion. The organization noted that Saudi Arabia executed at least 356 people in 2025, setting a new monitoring record, and that international law restricts the death penalty to the most serious crimes.