The family of Anojan Sivarasa, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia over a Facebook comment, has appealed for mercy, the BBC reported.
An appellate court found him guilty of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. He had first been sentenced by the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court to five years in prison and a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals, according to Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. The sentence was raised to death on 17 September after prosecutors sought trial under Sharia law.
His mother, Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi, asked for forgiveness for her son. The family said it had heard nothing from him since 28 September.
The Foreign Ministry said it is taking all available steps to assist him. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told the family on 21 September that the Government would make every effort to obtain a pardon. Buddhist and Hindu religious leaders have also submitted a memorandum calling for state intervention.
The case matters to the many Sri Lankans who work in Saudi Arabia, where rights groups say low-wage migrant workers can face particular difficulties in the legal system.
A four-member Sri Lankan legal team, including President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, is due to travel to Saudi Arabia this week to meet Anojan’s defence lawyers. Saudi authorities have not published an execution timeline.