Colombo: A Tamil man from Sri Lanka is facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia over a Facebook comment concerning Prophet Muhammad.
Sivarasa Anojan, a member of Sri Lanka’s Tamil community, is from Narpittimunai in the Eastern Province. He travelled to Saudi Arabia for employment about nine months ago.
According to Tamil Guardian, the case stemmed from a religious dispute on social media in Sri Lanka. Anojan was accused of posting an AI-generated image depicting the Holy Kaaba as a temple and making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad. His post was later translated into Arabic and brought to the attention of Saudi authorities.
The dispute reportedly followed an incident during a Hindu pilgrimage to Kataragama involving a dog that had accompanied pilgrims, leading to heated exchanges between Hindu and Muslim users online.
Anojan told the court that he deleted the post within about 10 minutes. His defence argued that the comment was made during an argument and that he did not intend to insult Islam or Prophet Muhammad.
The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially sentenced Anojan to five years in prison and a fine of three million Saudi riyals under Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law. Anojan appealed against the sentence, while the Saudi prosecution also appealed, seeking a harsher punishment under Sharia law.
Death sentence
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament on Tuesday, September 22, that the prosecution’s appeal was accepted and Anojan’s sentence was subsequently increased to death.
Herath said a delegation led by the Deputy Speaker would travel to Saudi Arabia with the President’s appeal. He also said the government would bear the legal costs incurred in Saudi Arabia and reimburse expenses already paid by Anojan’s family.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, September 18, that it was closely monitoring the case through the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh and engaging relevant Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels.
President seeks pardon
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met Anojan’s parents at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday, September 21.
Dissanayake said the government was making every possible effort to secure a pardon for Anojan through legal and diplomatic channels. He said a formal written appeal would be submitted to the King of Saudi Arabia seeking a pardon.
The President also briefed Anojan’s parents on measures already taken by the Foreign Ministry, including appeals submitted to the relevant authorities, and assured them that the government was closely monitoring the case.
President’s Counsels Upul Kumarapperuma and Faiszer Musthapha have agreed to assist with the case and are expected to engage with Anojan’s legal representatives and relevant Saudi authorities.
Media groups appeal for clemency
Five Sri Lankan media organisations issued a joint appeal on Tuesday, September 22, urging the Saudi leadership to grant clemency to Anojan.
The Free Media Movement, South Asian Women in Media, Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Tamil Media Alliance and Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum said they respected the judicial process while highlighting the humanitarian dimension of the case.
They urged the Saudi leadership to consider clemency and called on the Sri Lankan government to maintain high-level diplomatic engagement and pursue available legal and humanitarian avenues.
