The situation
Real talk, the stakes for 24-year-old migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa couldn't be higher. He’s currently facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia after an appellate court found him guilty of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The incident dates back to an online argument that started in late June following a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. After a video of a Muslim man kicking a dog went viral, things got heated. In the middle of that online chaos, Anojan posted a comment in Tamil insulting the Prophet. Even though he deleted it and dropped an apology video, someone screenshotted it and sent it to his employer in Saudi Arabia. Lowkey, the family claims individuals in Sri Lanka went out of their way to notify the Saudi authorities.
The legal shift
Anojan was first hit with a five-year prison sentence and a massive fine, but the plot thickened on September 17. Saudi prosecutors successfully appealed to have the case moved from cybercrime legislation to Sharia law, which resulted in the judge upgrading the sentence to the death penalty.
His family in Sri Lanka is absolutely spiraling; they haven't heard from him since September 28. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has met with them and promised that the government is pulling all the stops to secure a pardon. A legal team is even heading to Saudi Arabia this week to coordinate with local defense attorneys.
Why it matters
This case is a massive red flag for the millions of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. Human rights groups have been vocal for a long time about how vulnerable migrant workers are in the Saudi legal system, especially when they lack the language skills or legal resources to fight back. It’s giving a major warning about how quickly online speech—even stuff that's been deleted—can lead to life-or-death consequences in a foreign country. No cap, the waiting game right now is agonizing, as Saudi authorities don’t always give notice before an execution.
