Saudi court sets aside Sri Lankan worker Anojan Sivarasa’s death sentence
Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister announced the decision on 14 October. A lawyer involved in the case expects a new sentence from a lower court.
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has set aside the death sentence imposed on Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa over a Facebook comment, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said on Wednesday, 14 October. The decision removes the death sentence for now, but the case may return to a lower court.
What happens next in Anojan Sivarasa’s case
Lawyer Upul Kumarapperuma, who was part of the Sri Lankan government team sent to Riyadh, said the case had been referred to a lower court. He expects a hearing within two weeks and said a fresh sentence is likely, according to The Hindu. Whether Sivarasa remains in detention is unclear.
Sivarasa was sentenced to death in September after a Saudi appellate court convicted him over the Facebook comment. The Hindu reported that he had initially received a five-year prison sentence; PTI and BBC reported a fine of three million Saudi riyals.
Sources and context
- Saudi Arabia overturns Sri Lankan migrant worker’s death sentence over Facebook commentHindustan Times / PTI
- Saudi Arabia overturns death sentence for man over Facebook comment, Sri Lanka saysBBC News
- Saudi Supreme Court sets aside Sri Lankan migrant worker’s death penaltyThe Hindu
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