Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence for Anojan Sivarasa, a 27-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker, who was convicted of blasphemy over a Facebook comment, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said. Sivarasa was initially sentenced to death in September after an appellate court found him guilty of insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The case stemmed from an online exchange following a viral video depicting a man kicking a dog, where Sivarasa responded to a derogatory remark about a Hindu deity with a comment deemed blasphemous. He promptly deleted the post and issued an apology, but a screenshot was submitted to Saudi authorities, leading to his arrest in July. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of three million Saudi riyals ($0.8 million; £0.6 million) by the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court. Prosecutors later appealed for the death penalty under Sharia law, which the court granted on September 17. A clemency appeal was filed on Sunday, and the Supreme Court overturned the sentence on Wednesday. He was reportedly assaulted by a cellmate last week and moved to a new cell at Dammam Central Prison. His family has had no contact with him since September 28. Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi authorities to end the use of “abusive laws” for speech-related offenses, particularly against vulnerable migrant workers.
Our reading is that this case highlights the severity of blasphemy laws in Saudi Arabia and the vulnerability of migrant workers within that system. While the overturning of the death sentence is a positive development, the initial conviction and appeal for capital punishment demonstrate the potential for harsh legal consequences for speech-related offenses. The reported assault and lack of contact with his family underscore the difficult conditions Sivarasa faces, even with the sentence commuted.
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