Sri Lankan Worker Sentenced to Death in Saudi Arabia

Anoján Sivarasa, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker, has been sentenced to death by an appellate court in Saudi Arabia for a Facebook comment considered blasphemous. Initially, Sivarasa received a five-year prison sentence and a fine of three million Saudi riyals under the country's cybercrime law.

However, following a prosecutor's appeal on September 17, the appellate court escalated his punishment to death. The incident arose from a social media dispute where Sivarasa made an insulting remark about Prophet Muhammad in response to derogatory comments about a Hindu deity.

Although he deleted the post shortly after and later issued an apology, the comment had already been captured and reported to his employer and Saudi authorities, leading to his arrest in July. His family has not been in contact with him since September 28, and no execution date has been announced.

Humanists UK, led by Chief Executive Andrew Copson, is urging the British government to intervene and abolish blasphemy laws.