On September 17, 2026, a Saudi court has sentenced 24-year-old migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa, to death after being accused of blasphemy due to a Facebook comment that some deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad.
Patterns of Abuse:
Incident Timeline: June 28, 2026 and ongoing
Quick Details
Violation Type: Enforced Disappearances and Extrajudicial Killings
Type of Impact: Loss of Life & Physical Harm, Religious & Belief-Based Impact
Perpetrator Type: Government
State Involvement: Direct
Location Details
Al-Ahsa Governorate
Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia
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Incident Details
On June 28, Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu Anojan Sivarasa, a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, replied to a Facebook video with a comment in Tamil that was translated to Arabic and deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad by some viewers. It gained a lot of attention, and a screenshot was sent to Saudi authorities and Sivarasa’s employer in the region. Sivarasa deleted the comment and released an apology video to his Facebook account, but he was arrested on July 1st.
The Al-Ahsa Public Prosecution charged him with insulting and offending the Prophet Muhammad. When the Criminal Court of Al-Ahsa issued its initial judgment on July 27, it sentenced him to 5 years in prison and a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals (~$800,000 USD). The Al-Ahsa Public Prosecution filed an appeal and Sivarasa was ultimately sentenced to death.
As of October 5, Sivarasa was attacked by a prisoner and required medical attention.
Saudi Arabia has the highest number of executions in one year, according to Human Rights Watch.
Additional Context
Affected Population
Anojan Siravasa
Alleged Pertetrators
Saudi Arabia
Perpetrator Motives
Execute a Hindu (non-Muslim) for alleged blasphemy law violations.
Perpetrator Response
Blasphemy is a death sentence violation.
Impact Details
Individual, but also, Sivarasa is the sole breadwinner for his family in Sri Lanka, which leaves his family economically impacted as well.
Government Response
Government Response Outcome
Legal Framework
Arab Charter on Human Rights, Article 6, 30, 32 Saudi Arabia rejects the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) because it objects to Article 18 because they believe it conflicts with Sharia (Islamic) law.
Sources & Verification
Sources of Evidence
Human Rights Watch
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/10/13/saudi-arabia-death-penalty-for-facebook-comment