Amnesty urges Saudi Arabia to overturn death sentence against Sri Lankan worker

Amnesty International has called on Saudi Arabia to overturn the death sentence imposed on 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker Sivarasa Anojan over a Facebook comment considered insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.

In a statement issued on October 7, 2026, the human rights organization urged Saudi authorities to cancel his conviction and release him immediately and unconditionally, arguing that the charges against him were based entirely on his exercise of the right to freedom of expression.

According to Amnesty International, Anojan was arrested on July 1, 2026, after publishing a Facebook comment considered insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.

He reportedly told the judge that he had made the comment during a moment of anger and later deleted it. He also published a video apology expressing regret over his actions.

On July 27, 2026, the Criminal Court in Al Ahsa sentenced him to five years in prison and imposed a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals (approximately US$800,000), the maximum punishment under Article 6 of Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cybercrime Law.

However, on September 17, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region increased his punishment to a death sentence under the hadd category, which Amnesty described as a fixed, mandatory punishment under Sharia law.

Anojan has appealed against the death sentence.

Amnesty International also reported that he was denied access to a lawyer from the time of his arrest until his initial sentencing.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, raised serious concerns about the case and the Saudi criminal justice system.

She said the decision to increase a five-year prison sentence to a death sentence within less than two months raised questions about the fairness of the legal process.

“No one should be imprisoned, let alone face execution simply for expressing their views, even if these are deemed insulting or offensive,” Morayef said.

She argued that executing Anojan for a social media comment would amount to an arbitrary deprivation of life.

Amnesty International also pointed out that international human rights law restricts the death penalty to the most serious crimes, understood to involve intentional killing.

The organization criticized Saudi Arabia for continuing to impose death sentences for non-violent offences and for carrying out executions following trials it considers seriously unfair.

According to Amnesty International, at least 175 people had been executed in Saudi Arabia in 2026 as of October 5, including many convicted of drug-related offences.

The organization said foreign nationals accounted for the majority of those executed, with at least 94 people from more than 20 countries put to death during the year.

Amnesty International further stated that Saudi courts have imposed prison sentences lasting several decades for social media posts in recent years, while some sentences have changed significantly following appeals.

The organization also raised concerns about Saudi Arabia’s legal system, noting that the country does not have a written penal code defining many criminal offences and their punishments.

According to Amnesty International, judges have considerable discretion in deciding such cases based on their interpretations of Sharia law.

It also criticized provisions of Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime laws, claiming that broad terms such as “public order,” “religious values,” and “public morals” are used to prosecute people for expressing their views.

Morayef urged Saudi authorities to end what Amnesty International describes as a crackdown on freedom of expression and release individuals detained solely for exercising their human rights.

The organization also called on Saudi Arabia to immediately suspend executions as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty.

Amnesty International maintains its opposition to the death penalty in all cases, regardless of the nature of the offence, the circumstances of the case, or the method of execution.