Sivarasa Anojan Must Not Die for a Facebook Comment | Column

Column. Sivarasa Anojan should not die for a Facebook comment. The Sri Lankan Tamil migrant worker was reportedly sentenced to death on appeal in Saudi Arabia. The charge was a post judged insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.

The facts are still partly unconfirmed. Saudi authorities have not officially confirmed the ruling, according to Visaverge. His lawyer filed an appeal on 24 August. The family received a letter on 16 September. The appeal ruling was reported on 18 September. An earlier court had imposed five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals.

Why Sivarasa Anojan’s case matters

If the report is right, the court raised the punishment from prison to death. A comment on social media is not violence. It harms nobody’s body. A legal system that kills for speech has lost any claim to proportion.

Many ex-Muslims know this fear. In some places, a careless post, a private doubt or a leaked chat can become a capital case. Migrant workers are even more exposed. They often lack money, language skills and legal help.

Sri Lanka’s government says it is acting. Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said officials are consulting the family about an appeal. They are also exploring diplomatic options, including a royal pardon. Batticaloa MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam plans to raise the case in Parliament. A Daily FT columnist urges every legal remedy alongside sustained diplomacy.

Rights groups have also urged clemency, The Standard in Hong Kong reported this week. They are right. Mercy is the minimum.

The wider principle is simple. Nobody should be punished for what they say about a religion, whether they mock it, question it or leave it. Blasphemy laws turn offence into a crime. Our column on Nigeria’s blasphemy law trap showed the same pattern.

Governments with leverage should speak up now. Quiet diplomacy can work, but silence helps no one. Anojan’s family deserves answers, and he deserves his life.

Fact basis: Visaverge, Daily FT and The Standard, 7 October 2026. The sentence is reported, not officially confirmed. This article is an opinion column.