Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence imposed on Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa, 27, over a Facebook comment insulting the Prophet Muhammad, Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra announced Wednesday.
Sivarasa was sentenced to death in September after a Saudi appellate court convicted him of blasphemy. The case triggered diplomatic efforts by Colombo to seek clemency. Hemachandra said the top court's decision followed work by legal teams and authorities from both nations.
The sequence began in late June when footage circulated online of a young Muslim man kicking a dog following Hindu pilgrims. Religious arguments erupted. A user posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity. Sivarasa responded in Tamil with insulting language about the Prophet Muhammad. He deleted the comment quickly and posted an apology video, but a screenshot reached his employer and Saudi officials. He was arrested in July.
An Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially sentenced him to five years in prison plus a fine of three million Saudi riyals, roughly $0.8 million. The appellate court then imposed the death sentence. It remains unclear whether further legal proceedings will occur or whether Sivarasa will remain detained and for how long.
Faizer Mustafa, a Sri Lankan lawmaker involved in negotiations with Saudi Arabia on the case, confirmed to BBC Sinhala that the death sentence had been overturned. He added that authorities are reviewing the Supreme Court's ruling. Sivarasa's family reported having no direct contact with him since September 28.
International human rights organizations had called for the sentence to be spared. Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said on Tuesday that "Saudi authorities should end their use of abusive laws to hand out extraordinary sentences for speech-related offenses, especially against migrant workers who are already in a vulnerable position with limited protections."