Sri Lanka government and parties seek clemency for man on Saudi death row

Anojan Sivarasa, 24, a Sri Lankan migrant worker, is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia after an appellate court found him guilty of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over a comment he made on Facebook, according to the BBC. His family has had no updates on his condition since 28 September, the BBC reported. His mother, Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi, said: "I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us."

The BBC reported that civil society petitions have been organised in Sri Lanka and that multiple political parties and government bodies have co-ordinated diplomatic efforts seeking clemency. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is taking all available steps to assist Anojan, according to the BBC. The Sri Lankan government has instructed the family to refrain from making further statements while diplomatic efforts take place, the BBC reported.

Anojan was initially sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 3m Saudi riyals (about $0.8m; £0.6m) by the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court, according to the BBC. An appeal submitted on his behalf seeking to reduce his sentence was rejected, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said, according to the BBC. On 17 September, Saudi prosecutors filed an appeal for Anojan to be prosecuted under Sharia law instead of the country's cybercrime legislation, and the appellate court granted the request, increasing his sentence to the death penalty, the BBC reported.

Anojan was arrested in July after he posted a comment in Tamil insulting the Prophet Muhammad during an online dispute, the BBC reported. The dispute followed an incident during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka, after footage circulated on social media of a young Muslim man kicking a dog following Hindu pilgrims, triggering religious arguments online, according to the BBC. Anojan deleted his comment and posted an apology video, but it was screenshot and brought to the attention of his employer and Saudi officials, the BBC reported.

His brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, told BBC Sinhala that individuals in Sri Lanka sent emails to the company where Anojan worked, and that the company notified Saudi authorities, who registered a case against him. The BBC reported that Anojan's personal devices were seized and his social media accounts were deleted by Saudi officials. The BBC reported that the case has brought together cross-religious support, including from senior Buddhist leaders.

The family met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on 21 September, and the president assured them the government would spare no effort to obtain a general pardon for him, instructing diplomatic channels to engage Saudi authorities, according to the BBC. Saudi authorities have not published an official execution timeline, and it is unclear when the sentence will be carried out, the BBC reported. The BBC reported that Saudi Arabia has a history of carrying out executions without warning families or foreign embassies, only informing relatives after the sentence has been carried out.