He thanked Saudi officials, Sri Lankan diplomats and lawyers from both countries for their efforts to challenge the punishment. Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said the Supreme Court set aside Sivarasa’s death sentence on Tuesday.
His brother, Hamsidan, said people in Sri Lanka had emailed the image to the employer, who then took the matter to the authorities. The screenshot eventually reached Sivarasa’s employer in Saudi Arabia. Sivarasa was arrested in July.
On September 17, the Court of Appeal in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region replaced the original punishment with a death sentence for insulting Prophet Muhammad. The ruling prompted a further appeal, which was filed before the Supreme Court on October 11.
Human Rights Watch said Sivarasa had travelled to Saudi Arabia for construction work and was the main earner for his family. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake welcomed the decision while pledging continued support for Sivarasa and his family as the legal proceedings continue. In a post on X, he wrote, “No Sri Lankan who leaves our shores in search of a livelihood should ever feel that they stand alone. What began as an online argument thus became a criminal case, with the punishment escalating sharply as the matter moved through the Saudi judicial system.
The Supreme Court’s decision follows months of legal proceedings that began with a social media dispute and escalated into a case carrying the death penalty.
