Blasphemy: 24-year-old Anujan Sivarasa faces execution for insulting Prophet Muhammad, Islam
A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker, Anujan Sivarasa, has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after being charged with making blasphemous comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.
Mr Sivarasa, who was earlier sentenced to five years in jail and a fine of three million Saudi riyals, now faces execution after the court advanced the case under Sharia law.
Mr Sivarasa had made comments insulting Prophet Muhammad in Tamil on Facebook during religious disputes in Sri Lanka.
Despite deleting the post and apologising, he was arrested in July after the screenshot of his post went viral and reached his employer and Saudi Arabian authorities.
No official timeline for his execution has been published by the authorities, and it remains unclear when the sentence will be carried out.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government said it was making diplomatic efforts to secure a pardon for Mr Sivarasa.
It was also reported that the case brought together cross-religious support, as senior Buddhist and Hindu religious leaders submitted a memorandum to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat, calling for urgent state intervention.
Mr Sivarasa’s family, however, said they had not been able to contact him since September 28.
Severe sentences for online speech are not new in Saudi Arabia. In 2021, Mohammed Al Ghamdi, a retired Saudi school teacher, was sentenced to death over his comments on multiple social media platforms.
An appeal court, however, commuted his death sentence to 30 years in prison following intense international outcry.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
NDLEA intercepts large consignments of illicit drugs in seven states
Mr Babafemi said operatives arrested the suspects while they were loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a Volvo truck for onward movement into town.
Agriculture
North-East poultry farmers seek govt intervention over threat of sector collapse
In separate interviews with journalists in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, poultry farmers described rising input costs as a serious threat to productivity.
States
Troops rescue 11 abducted victims in Kebbi
Mr Sanivie said the operation followed a distress call about suspected terrorists who had blocked the Ribah-Dirindaji road while attempting to invade Ribah town.
Faith
2027: Nigerians tired of unfulfilled promises, Abuja pastor tells political leaders
The cleric challenged political leaders to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action on their commitments.
Faith
Umrah offered president opportunity for undistracted prayers for Nigeria: Wale Tinubu
Mr Tinubu described the pilgrimage as an opportunity to demonstrate humility, gratitude, brotherhood and commitment to service.
States
Cleric urges Gov. Abiodun to reject pregnancy termination bill
The cleric described the proposed legislation as a dangerous move that could encourage abortion and lead to the loss of unborn lives.
