Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has set aside the death sentence handed to Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa over a Facebook comment, Colombo’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Sivarasa, 27, was convicted of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad by a Saudi appellate court in September. The conviction stemmed from a comment he made in response to a user’s derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity during a heated online exchange about a viral video of a Muslim man kicking a dog.
Although Sivarasa promptly deleted the comment and released an apology video, a screenshot of the post was brought to the attention of his employer and Saudi authorities, leading to his arrest in July. He had originally been sentenced to five years in prison and fined three million Saudi riyals ($0.8 million) by the Al‑Ahsa Criminal Court.
Hemachandra thanked Saudi and Sri Lankan legal teams for their efforts and noted that the Supreme Court’s decision was a result of diplomatic negotiations. Sri Lankan lawmaker Faizer Mustafa confirmed to BBC Sinhala that the death sentence had been overturned and that further legal proceedings were under review.
It remains unclear whether Sivarasa will face additional legal action or remain in detention. His family reported no contact with him since 28 September. International rights groups and Human Rights Watch have called on Saudi Arabia to avoid using harsh laws for speech‑related offences, especially against vulnerable migrant workers.
The case has drawn global attention to the treatment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and the implications of social media disputes crossing international borders.
