The AHRC called on people in Sri Lanka and elsewhere to write to the Sri Lankan government about its obligations and the government of Saudi Arabia calling for clemency to be exercised.

The three workers have been accused of murder and robbery.

Migrant workers are a key course of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka and help keep the island economy afloat.

The AHRC said the Sri Lankan government has an obligation to ensure a fair trial for the accused in the Gulf state and that providing legal fees should also be looked at from the point of view of the rights of migrant workers.

"Migrant workers are one of the main earners of foreign exchange for the country," the human rights body said.

"They work under very harsh conditions and are very vulnerable to abuse. They have hardly any legal rights or recognition in the countries in which they work. That is a greater reason for the Sri Lankan government to take responsibility on their behalf."

The only way to prevent the three convicted Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia from facing public execution by beheading is to lodge an appeal within 30 days from the date of conviction.

This can only be done if the Sri Lankan government provides legal fees for lodging appeals on their behalf through the Sri Lankan Consulate General in Jeddah.

The AHRC noted that the policy of the Sri Lankan government so far has been to not provide legal fees for cases for foreign workers facing trials abroad.

In the famous case of Rizana Nafeek also, the Sri Lankan government refused to pay the legal fees to the lawyers.

Nafeek, a teenager at the time of her conviction, is facing the death sentence for the death of a child in her care. Her family has appealed to the parents of the child to pardon her.

A Filipino convict was Tuesday beheaded in Saudi Arabia after the victim's family refused to forgive him, foreign department officials said Wednesday.

The sentence was carried out despite appeals by the Philippine government to the local emirs, the governor of Jeddah, and the minister of interior and a personal letter from President Gloria Arroyo to the Saudi king, asking for clemency.

The AHRC said it is the duty of the Sri Lankan government to inform the families of the accused, as well as the public, as to how the due process rights of the three persons have been respected in the Saudi trial.

Under the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations, to which Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia are parties to, the government of the sending country has a right to request the government where such trials take place to ensure the legal rights of the accused.

"Therefore the main burden of ensuring a fair trial lies with the Sri Lankan government," the AHRC statement said.