Sri Lanka Claims Saudi Arabia Has Overturned a Man’s Death Sentence for a Facebook Statement

According to Colombo’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra, the death penalty imposed on a Sri Lankan migrant worker for a Facebook statement has been overturned by Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court. In September, a Saudi appeal court found 27-year-old Anojan Sivarasa guilty of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad for his remarks, and he was given the death penalty.

Sri Lanka was rocked by the case, which prompted diplomatic efforts to obtain a pardon. Hemachandra said in a Facebook post that the judgment was overturned by Saudi Arabia’s highest court on Wednesday. He also praised the legal teams and authorities of both countries for their efforts.

Religious disputes were sparked in late June after video of a young Muslim guy striking a dog after Hindu pilgrims went viral on social media. Sivarasa insulted the Prophet Muhammad in Tamil because a user made disparaging comments about a Hindu god during the conversation. Sivarasa quickly removed the statement and uploaded an apologetic video, but once his employer and Saudi authorities saw a screenshot of it, he was arrested in July.

It’s unclear how long Sivarasa will be detained, whether there will be other legal actions, or both. The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court first sentenced him to five years in prison and a fine of three million Saudi riyals ($0.8 million; £0.6 million). According to Sivarasa’s relatives, they haven’t spoken to him directly since September 28. Calls on Saudi to spare his life had also been joined by international human rights organisations.

“Saudi authorities should end their use of abusive laws to hand out extraordinary sentences for speech-related offences, especially against migrant workers who are already in a vulnerable position with limited protections,” Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said on Tuesday.