Saudi Arabia: Death Penalty for Facebook Comment

Click to expand Image Anojan Sivarasa. © Private (Beirut) – A Saudi court has sentenced a Sri Lankan migrant worker to death over a Facebook comment that was deemed blasphemous, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi authorities should reverse the judgment and release him immediately. The Saudi Court of Appeal in the Eastern Region handed down the death sentence to Anojan Sivarasa, 24, on September 17, 2026, after two court sessions. An initial ruling had sentenced him to five years in prison. “Se