Sri Lankan Man, 24, Faces Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia Over Facebook Comment
- Anojan Sivarasa was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after posting a comment on Facebook during an online religious dispute
- Sivarasa deleted the comment within minutes and issued a public apology, but authorities still escalated his sentence to death
- Humanists UK launched an urgent petition calling on the UK Government to intervene and push for his sentence to be overturned
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Source: UGC
A 24-year-old Sri Lankan man is facing execution in Saudi Arabia after a Facebook comment he made during a religious argument online led to a blasphemy charge and a death sentence.
Anojan Sivarasa, a Hindu migrant worker, posted a comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad while responding to what he described as derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity. He deleted the post within minutes and issued a public apology. Despite this, a screenshot had already been captured and was reported to both his employer and local authorities. He was arrested in July.
His initial sentence was five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals under Saudi Arabia's cybercrime laws. After prosecutors appealed for a harsher punishment, an appeal court upgraded the sentence to death on 17 September. His family has had no contact with him since 28 September, and no official execution date has been announced.
Humanists UK calls for UK Government to act
Humanists UK has launched a petition urging the UK Foreign Secretary to raise the case directly with Saudi officials and push for the execution order to be overturned. Chief Executive Andrew Copson also called on the government to advocate for the global repeal of blasphemy laws.
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Boyd Sleator, Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator, pointed out that while England, Wales, and Scotland have already abolished blasphemy laws, Northern Ireland has not yet completed the same process. He argued that retaining domestic blasphemy statutes weakens the UK's position when challenging capital punishment for blasphemy in other countries.
People around the world speak out
The case has drawn an outpouring of concern from people online, with many calling for mercy and questioning the proportionality of the sentence.
@ganko_trans_services_sn wrote: "Anojan Sivarasa is only 24 years old. He is someone's son, someone's loved one, and a young man who still has his whole life ahead of him. Knowing that he could face the death penalty is deeply heartbreaking..."
@loniapola said:
"Whatever one thinks of the comment itself, a death sentence for words should make us question where justice ends and fear begins."
@wasib_haq shared:
"That man does not deserve to die and should be freed. None of the prophets would approve of this."
@_lasunkanmi_ wrote:
"Is the Prophet so helpless that these people believe they must fight on his behalf? How, then, can death be considered a fitting punishment for a mistake, especially one the person has already apologised for and shown remorse over?"
@supermama_events_istanbul added:
"Sentenced to death because of a social media post? What happened to forgiveness? I don't think Prophet Mohammed would ever allow this to happen. Come on, Saudi Arabia, the kid has learned his lesson. Free him."
@chris_mcnair_ said:
"If you agree or not with him it shouldn't matter. There should be free speech."
@farahshammas simply wrote:
"I hope he can return home soon."
See the BBC footage here:
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Source: Briefly News
