Saudi Arabia Overturns Death Sentence of Sri Lankan Worker over Anti-Islam Facebook Comment
The ruling follows diplomatic efforts by Colombo and leaves unclear whether Sivarasa still faces detention or other penalties.
- On Tuesday, the Saudi Supreme Court set aside the death sentence for Anojan Sivarasa, a Sri Lankan migrant worker convicted of blasphemy against Islam and Prophet Muhammad. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism confirmed the development on Wednesday.
- Sivarasa was arrested in July after posting a comment on Facebook insulting Prophet Muhammad during online religious arguments. Before the death sentence, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court had sentenced him to five years in prison and fined him three million Saudi riyals, equivalent to around $800,000.
- Although Sivarasa deleted the comment and posted an apology video, his employer reported him to Saudi authorities. His family stated they had no direct contact with him since September 28, while international human rights organizations had called on Saudi Arabia to spare his life.
- Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra and Sri Lankan lawmaker Faizer Mustafa confirmed the court's decision, though officials are reviewing the Supreme Court's ruling to determine if Sivarasa remains detained or if previous legal penalties remain in place.
- Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, urged Saudi authorities on Tuesday to end the use of abusive laws for speech-related offenses, noting that migrant workers often face limited legal protections.
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Saudi Arabia overturns death sentence of Sri Lankan worker over anti-Islam Facebook comment
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence imposed on a Sri Lankan migrant worker over a comment he posted on Facebook, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said, according to the BBC. Anojan Sivarasa, 27, was sentenced to death in September after a Saudi appellate court convicted him of blasphemy against Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) over the comment. The case triggered widespread concern in Sri Lanka and…
Saudi court spares Sri Lankan Hindu man sentenced to death over Prophet remarks on Facebook
Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence handed to Sivarasa Anojan, a Sri Lankan Hindu migrant worker. Anojan was tried for blasphemy over a Facebook comment and sentenced to death. His comment, which he promptly deleted and apologised for, came amid a row over a dog near a Hindu pilgrimage site.
Saudi Arabia | The Saudi government has commuted the death sentence of 24-year-old Tamil engineer Anojan Sivarasa from Sri Lanka, who was facing death penalty due to a social media post controversy in Saudi Arabia.
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