A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker faces a death sentence in Saudi Arabia after prosecutors appealed for his case to be treated under Sharia law and an appellate court increased his sentence from five years’ imprisonment to death. No execution date has been announced, and Anojan Sivarasa has appealed the sentence.
According to Humanists UK, Sivarasa posted the comment, removed it almost immediately, and made a public apology. A screenshot was reportedly sent to his employer and then to Saudi authorities, triggering his arrest in early July 2026, according to available reporting.
Two Laws, One Verdict
A cybercrime conviction escalated into a capital case after prosecutors sought to have the alleged conduct treated under Sharia law rather than solely under Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cybercrime Law.
The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially convicted Sivarasa under Article 6 of Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cybercrime Law. The sentence carried five years in prison and a fine of three million Saudi riyals, approximately $800,000.
On September 17, prosecutors successfully appealed for the case to be dealt with under Sharia law. The appellate court then imposed death as a hadd punishment, a fixed penalty under Sharia, according to Amnesty International.
The exact wording of the original comment and the court’s full judicial reasoning have not been independently confirmed in available reporting. Sivarasa’s family has not heard from him since September 28, according to Humanists UK.
Diplomatic Scramble
Sri Lanka’s government is pursuing legal and diplomatic channels to prevent the sentence from being carried out.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed that authorities received the written judgment. He said the appellate court treated the alleged conduct as an offense involving an insult to the Prophet Muhammad.
A four-member Sri Lankan legal delegation was scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia to meet lawyers handling the case and discuss proceedings before the Saudi Supreme Court. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with Sivarasa’s family and reportedly promised that the government would make every effort to secure his release or obtain a pardon.
Sri Lankan authorities say they are pursuing diplomatic and legal measures, though no outcome has been announced.
International Pressure Builds
Human-rights organizations in multiple countries have called on Saudi Arabia to overturn the sentence, framing it as a violation of fundamental rights.
Amnesty International called on Saudi authorities to urgently overturn the death sentence, arguing that execution for online expression constitutes a fundamental violation of human rights. Amnesty characterized the appellate court’s hadd ruling as an unacceptable escalation from the original cybercrime conviction.
Humanists UK launched a petition urging the British government to press Saudi Arabia on the case. Sivarasa is a Sri Lankan national, not a British citizen.
Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, called on the British foreign secretary to raise the matter with Saudi officials at the highest level. Sivarasa has appealed the death sentence, and no execution date has been set.
Possible avenues identified in reporting include the appeal process before the Saudi Supreme Court, ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, and a clemency request.
