AMPARA, Sri Lanka — A delegation of prominent international human rights activists and religious leaders visited the family residence of Sivarasa Anojan on Thursday, September 24, 2026, to express solidarity and rally global support for the young Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu worker currently facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia.
The visiting delegation included human rights activist Jasmine Ojha from Nepal, Kanapathipillai Sachithananthan, President of the Hindu Struggle Committee in Sri Lanka, and Mr. Arun Upadhyay, International President of the Hindu Struggle Committee. Arriving at Anojan’s home, the leaders spent more than two hours sitting with his mother, father, and brother. The delegation listened intently as the grieving family shared their profound emotional distress and detailed the sequence of events that led to Anojan's overseas detention.
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Anojan’s legal troubles began in Saudi Arabia following an online altercation on Facebook, during which a user made derogatory remarks about Lord Shiva. Motivated purely by religious devotion and defense of his faith, Anojan posted a counter-response. The comment was reported to Saudi law enforcement authorities, leading to his arrest under strict national statutes that eventually escalated from cybercrime charges to a Sharia-based blasphemy conviction carrying the death penalty.
Deeply affected by the account, the activists issued a unified appeal to the international community, calling on international human rights bodies and foreign governments to exert urgent diplomatic pressure on Saudi authorities to secure Anojan’s release. The delegation underscored that the young worker's response was a brief, emotionally charged reaction born out of personal religious piety rather than malice, making the severe legal outcome a pressing humanitarian issue.
The delegation also voiced the strong expectations held by the Sri Lankan public regarding neighboring India. Citing India's substantial diplomatic weight in the Gulf region and shared cultural heritage with the Tamil community, community leaders emphasized that high-level support from New Delhi could prove decisive in urging Saudi leadership toward clemency and saving Anojan's life.
