COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A Sri Lankan migrant worker sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad has been attacked by other inmates and suffered head injuries, according to an activist assisting his family.
Sivarasa Anojan, a Tamil from Natpiddimunai, near Kalmunai in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province, was sentenced to death last month after a Saudi appeals court replaced an earlier five-year prison term. The Sri Lankan government has since begun diplomatic and legal efforts to prevent his execution.
Rajkumar Rajeevkanth, a social activist who has assisted Mr. Anojan's family throughout the case, said on Monday that he had been told Mr. Anojan was assaulted by other prisoners and sustained head injuries.
"There are serious concerns for his safety, including the possibility of further attacks against him while in custody," Mr. Rajeevkanth said in a statement.
He called on Saudi prison authorities, the Sri Lankan government, the Foreign Ministry and the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh to intervene immediately, arrange medical treatment and ensure Mr. Anojan's safety.
Jaffna Monitor could not independently verify the report. It was not clear when the attack took place, how seriously Mr. Anojan was hurt or whether Saudi prison authorities had opened an investigation.
"Regardless of the case against him or the sentence imposed, his life and safety while in state custody must be protected," Mr. Rajeevkanth said.
Mr. Rajeevkanth was among the first to disclose the death sentence, after speaking with the family.
Mr. Anojan was working in Saudi Arabia when Saudi authorities came across a Facebook comment he posted during a heated religious dispute among Sri Lankans on social media. The dispute began after a video circulated in Sri Lanka showing a young Muslim man kicking a stray dog that had accompanied Hindu pilgrims on the annual Pada Yatra to Kataragama.
According to the trial judgment, which Jaffna Monitor has reviewed, the Criminal Court in Al-Ahsa convicted Mr. Anojan on July 28 on two charges: publishing material through an information network in a manner harmful to religious values and public morals, and insulting the Prophet Muhammad, which the judgment described as prohibited under Sharia.
The court sentenced him to five years in prison, including time already served, and fined him three million Saudi riyals, about $800,000. It also ordered the confiscation of the device he used and the closure of his social media account.
The family appealed in the hope of a lighter sentence. In September, the appeals court instead sentenced him to death. Jaffna Monitor previously reported, based on documents it reviewed, that legal advice obtained by the Sri Lankan Embassy before the appeal had described the chances of a reduction as "extremely low."
Prosecutors had also sought a harsher sentence. The cybercrime charge carries a statutory maximum penalty, but the charge of insulting the Prophet was handled under Sharia and had no written sentencing limit, according to the judgment and appeal documents.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met Mr. Anojan's parents at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo last month and said his government would formally ask the Saudi king for clemency. The Foreign Ministry has said it is working through the embassy in Riyadh and Saudi diplomatic channels to assist Mr. Anojan.
Tamil and Muslim political leaders have joined the clemency appeal. Six lawmakers, including Rauff Hakeem, Rishad Bathiudeen and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, wrote to the Saudi foreign minister seeking a royal pardon.
A four-member Sri Lankan legal team is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to prepare a challenge to the death sentence before the Saudi Supreme Court. The team includes Additional Solicitor General Azard Navavi, the President's Counsel Faiszer Musthapha and Upul Kumarapperuma, and the lawyer Hafeel Farisz. They are expected to meet Saudi lawyers on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mr. Rajeevkanth said the legal effort should not distract from the need to protect Mr. Anojan while he remains in Saudi custody.
"This matter requires immediate attention," he said. "Please act before another serious incident occurs."
