Sri Lankan Man Sentenced to Death in Saudi Arabia Over Online Remarks
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A 24-year-old Sri Lankan national working in Saudi Arabia, Anojan Sivarasa, faces execution after an appeal court on September 17, 2026, upgraded his sentence from five years' imprisonment to the death penalty. The case originated from an online religious dispute triggered by a video showing a man kicking a dog during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka in late June. Sivarasa responded in Tamil to derogatory comments about Hindu deities with remarks allegedly insulting to Prophet Muhammad. He later deleted the comment and posted an apology video, but screenshots had already circulated widely. A person in Sri Lanka translated and emailed the content to his employer, which reported him to Saudi authorities, leading to his arrest in July. The case has sparked outrage in Sri Lanka, with President Dissanayake meeting the family and promising to pursue all diplomatic options to seek clemency.
Key Points
- Anojan Sivarasa, 24, from Kalmunai in eastern Sri Lanka, was working in Saudi Arabia when he was arrested in July 2026
- On September 17, 2026, a Saudi appeal court upgraded his sentence to death following a prosecution appeal arguing for Islamic Sharia law application
- The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court had initially sentenced him on July 15, 2026, to five years' imprisonment and a fine of three million riyals (approximately HK$6.28 million) under the Saudi Anti-Cybercrime Law
- Sri Lankan Deputy Attorney General Azard Navawi is leading a four-member legal team to Saudi Arabia this week to explore appeal options at the Supreme Court
- Amnesty International documented 1,816 executions in Saudi Arabia between 2014 and June 2025, with nearly three-quarters being foreign nationals
Why It Matters
The case illustrates the extreme risks overseas workers face when navigating different legal and religious cultural environments, as a momentary online remark can carry consequences far beyond what the individual could have anticipated. Sri Lanka's coordinated diplomatic and legal response underscores how such cases can rapidly escalate into bilateral diplomatic incidents, with the individual's fate now hanging on whether clemency appeals through Saudi Arabia's highest judicial authorities will succeed .
The case illustrates the extreme risks overseas workers face when navigating different legal and religious cultural environments, as a momentary online remark can carry consequences far beyond what the individual could have anticipated. Sri Lanka's coordinated diplomatic and legal response underscores how such cases can rapidly escalate into bilateral diplomatic incidents, with the individual's fate now hanging on whether clemency appeals through Saudi Arabia's highest judicial authorities will succeed .