How An Angry Facebook Post Led To Saudi Death Penalty For Sri Lankan Man

Anojan Sivarasa, 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia over a Facebook comment in which he allegedly insulted Islam and Prophet Muhammad. His family is now seeking mercy to save his life.

"I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us," Sivarasa's mother, Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi, told the BBC.

The Sri Lankan migrant was arrested in Saudi Arabia in July after a screenshot of the Facebook comment was shared with his employer and Saudi authorities. The comment was made during an online argument that began after a religious incident in Sri Lanka.

The argument started after a video showed a Muslim man kicking a dog during a Hindu pilgrimage. During the argument, a user allegedly made offensive comments about a Hindu deity. Sivarasa then replied in Tamil with an insulting comment about Prophet Muhammad.

Sivarasa later deleted the comment and posted an apology video. But someone had already taken a screenshot of the post and sent it to his employer in Saudi Arabia. His employer informed the Saudi authorities. Sivarasa was then arrested, and his electronic devices were seized.

The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially sentenced him to five years in prison. He was also fined 3 million Saudi riyals, around $800,000. On September 17, Saudi prosecutors appealed the case and asked the court to deal with it under Sharia law instead of cybercrime laws. It then changed Sivarasa's sentence from five years in prison to the death penalty.

Sivarasa's family has not heard from him since September 28. "We informed the embassy and asked officials to look into the matter and update us. They said they would check. We are still waiting, as we have not yet received a response," Sivarasa's brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, told BBC Sinhala.

According to the BBC report, a four-member Sri Lankan legal team is travelling to Saudi Arabia this week. The team will meet the lawyers representing Sivarasa and discuss the case and the next legal steps. 

"There are two law firms in Saudi Arabia handling Sivarasa's case. We are going there to meet the lawyers from these two firms, discuss the case and plan what can be done next," one of the team members, Upul Kumarapperuma, President's Counsel, told BBC Sinhala.

The case has also received support from Buddhist and Hindu religious leaders in Sri Lanka. They submitted a memorandum to the Presidential Secretariat and urged the government to act quickly.