Saudi Court Overturns Death Sentence For Man Over Facebook Comment

The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has set aside the death sentence imposed on a Sri Lankan national, Anojan Sivarasa, over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Arun Hemachandra, announced the development in a Facebook post on Wednesday, saying the court set aside the judgment on October 13, 2026.

“On 13 October 2026, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia set aside the judgment imposing the death penalty on Anojan Sivarasa,” Hemachandra wrote.

He said the decision followed “sustained diplomatic and legal efforts by the Government of Sri Lanka”.

The deputy foreign minister also thanked the Saudi government for its cooperation and acknowledged the efforts of Sri Lanka’s ambassador, Foreign Ministry officials, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and the Sri Lankan and Saudi legal teams involved in the case.

Sivarasa, 24, was initially sentenced to five years in prison and fined three million Saudi riyals in July under Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law.

However, the Court of Appeal in the kingdom’s Eastern Region increased the punishment to death on September 17 after prosecutors challenged the initial sentence.

The case arose from a Facebook comment Sivarasa made during an online exchange involving religious remarks. He later deleted the comment and apologised in a video, according to Amnesty International.

Sivarasa was arrested in July after the comment reportedly came to the attention of Saudi authorities through his employer.

Amnesty International had urged Saudi authorities to overturn the death sentence, raising concerns about the use of capital punishment for online expression and alleging that Sivarasa was denied access to a lawyer from his arrest until his initial sentencing.

The Sri Lankan government subsequently pursued diplomatic and legal efforts to challenge the sentence.

The latest ruling removes the death penalty, but Hemachandra’s announcement did not clarify whether Sivarasa’s earlier conviction, prison term or fine had also been overturned, or whether he would be released.