Sri Lanka Urges Global Help for Migrant Worker Facing Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia

Sri Lanka seeks international support as a migrant worker faces execution for Facebook post. Calls for clemency grow.

October 8, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan authorities have dispatched a legal team to Riyadh to challenge the death sentence of a young migrant worker accused of insulting Islam on social media. The case has sparked concern over the lack of global attention and calls for intervention from human rights groups and lawmakers.

Anojan Sivarasa, a 24-year-old from Kalmunai, was sentenced to death after posting a comment on Facebook that was deemed blasphemous. His remarks came in response to an offensive statement about a Hindu deity, which he later deleted and apologized for. Despite his efforts, screenshots of the post were shared with authorities, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction under Saudi Arabia’s strict blasphemy laws.

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Sri Lankan officials have been working with two legal teams in Saudi Arabia to appeal the ruling, while several lawmakers have urged the government to seek help from international allies like India and the U.S. Critics argue that the punishment is disproportionate and that the case highlights broader concerns about freedom of expression in the kingdom, which has carried out more executions than any other country in 2025.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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