In a high-profile legal decision that has drawn international attention to Saudi Arabia’s restrictive regulations on online speech, the kingdom’s highest judicial body has reversed a death penalty handed down to a 27-year-old Sri Lankan national convicted of blasphemy over a social media comment.
The case of Anojan Sivarasa traces back to intercommunal online tensions that erupted earlier this year, when video footage of a Muslim man kicking a dog during the return of a Hindu pilgrimage went viral across regional social platforms. The clip sparked heated arguments between Hindu and Muslim users in comment threads, where one user posted a derogatory remark targeting a Hindu deity. Sivarasa responded to that comment with an insult to the Prophet Muhammad, the act that would ultimately lead to his arrest and prosecution.
Quickly realizing the severity of his statement, Sivarasa deleted the comment and posted a public apology video to address the offense. But a screenshot of the exchange was already circulating, and it was eventually shared both with his employer, based in Saudi Arabia where Sivarasa resided and worked, and Saudi law enforcement officials. He was taken into custody by authorities in July this year.
Last month, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court found Sivarasa guilty of blasphemy against Islam. Alongside the death sentence, the court issued a concurrent 5-year prison term and a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to roughly $800,000. The conviction and capital sentence sparked widespread international backlash, with critics highlighting longstanding concerns over how Saudi Arabia’s legal system targets freedom of expression online.
On Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra confirmed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the death sentence in an official Facebook post, where he also thanked Saudi authorities for agreeing to commute the capital punishment. As of the latest update, Sivarasa remains in Saudi custody, and there has been no official confirmation on whether additional legal proceedings will be initiated against him.
The ruling comes against a backdrop of growing international scrutiny of Riyadh’s approach to online speech. The kingdom combines traditional interpretations of Islamic law with modern cybercrime and counter-terrorism legislation to crack down on online expression deemed to violate “public morals,” a policy that has led to a sharp rise in lengthy prison sentences for social media users and a sustained high rate of capital punishment. Data from regional monitoring organizations shows that at least 175 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia so far this year, the vast majority of whom are foreign nationals working and residing in the kingdom.