Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has set aside the death sentence imposed on Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa over a Facebook comment judged blasphemous, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra announced on Wednesday.
The court delivered its decision on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. Hemachandra confirmed the development in a Facebook post, describing it as a major relief that followed sustained diplomatic and legal efforts by the Sri Lankan government. He thanked Saudi authorities, Sri Lanka’s ambassador in the kingdom, Foreign Ministry officials, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, and the legal teams from both countries.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement confirming the ruling and calling it a significant breakthrough. A Sri Lankan legal delegation that included Additional Solicitor General Azard Navavi, President’s Counsel Faizer Musthapha and Upul Kumarapperuma had travelled to Riyadh to work with Saudi lawyers on the Supreme Court appeal, which was filed on 11 October.
Sivarasa, a Tamil Hindu from Narpittimunai near Kalmunai in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, had been working in Saudi Arabia as a technical engineer. Reports place his age at 24, though some accounts list him as 27.
The case began in late June 2026 after a video circulated widely on social media showing a young Muslim man kicking a dog that had been following Hindu pilgrims during the annual Pada Yatra to the Kataragama temple. The footage sparked heated online exchanges between Hindu and Muslim users.
During the arguments, a user posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity. Sivarasa replied in Tamil with comments that Saudi authorities later treated as insulting to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. He deleted the post quickly and uploaded a video apology. Screenshots nevertheless reached his employer and Saudi officials. He was arrested in early July in Dammam.
The Al-Ahsa Criminal Court initially sentenced him under Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law to five years in prison and a fine of three million Saudi riyals (about $800,000). Prosecutors later successfully argued that the case should be handled under Sharia law. On 17 September the Court of Appeal in the Eastern Region imposed the death penalty for blasphemy.
The Supreme Court’s decision removes the capital sentence. It remains unclear whether Sivarasa must still serve the original five-year prison term, whether further proceedings will follow, or how long he will remain in detention. Faizer Musthapha, the Sri Lankan lawmaker involved in the legal talks, confirmed the reversal and said the team was reviewing the full ruling.
Sivarasa’s family had reported no direct contact with him since late September. International rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, had urged Saudi authorities to end the use of harsh penalties for speech-related offences, particularly against migrant workers.
The case had prompted intense diplomatic activity from Colombo, including a formal appeal for clemency and the dispatch of the specialised legal team. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had earlier indicated that Sri Lanka would seek a pardon from the Saudi monarch if necessary.
For now, the Supreme Court ruling ends the immediate threat of execution. Officials in both countries have not yet clarified the next steps in Sivarasa’s legal status.
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