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Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court has set aside the death sentence imposed on Sri Lankan Hindu migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to Islam and Prophet Muhammad, following sustained diplomatic and legal efforts by Colombo.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday (October 14), saying the Supreme Court set aside the death sentence on (October 13), reported the Sri Lankan outlet, Newswire.
24-year-old Sivarasa's ordeal began after an incident during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka in late June. Footage showing a young Muslim man kicking a dog following Hindu pilgrims circulated on social media and triggered a heated exchange between users.
During the online argument, a user posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity. Sivarasa responded in Tamil with a comment about Prophet Muhammad. He deleted the comment soon afterwards and posted an apology video.
Although Anojan deleted the comment, screenshots were circulated, with his brother Hamsidan telling the BBC that individuals in Sri Lanka emailed his employer in Saudi Arabia, which alerted authorities. His devices were seized and social media accounts deleted, according to reports.
On July 15, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court sentenced him to five years in prison and fined him three million Saudi riyals, approximately $800,000, over the Facebook comment, before the sentence was later escalated to death.
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