The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has overturned the death sentence of Anujan Sivirasa, a Sri Lankan migrant worker who was accused of insulting Islam and the Prophet of Islam due to a comment made on Facebook. Arun Hemachandra, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, announced this news in a Facebook message.
Details of Anujan Sivirasa's Case
Anujan Sivirasa was sentenced to death in September for posting a message on Facebook that the court deemed insulting. Previously, in July, he had been sentenced to five years in prison and fined three million Saudi riyals (approximately $800,000), but after an appeal by the prosecution, his sentence was changed to death.
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This case had raised concerns in Sri Lanka and led to extensive diplomatic and legal efforts to overturn his death sentence. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka announced on October 13 that the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia had lifted Sivirasa's death sentence and attributed this decision to the continuous efforts of the Sri Lankan government.
Social and Religious Context
The incident began in late June this year when a video surfaced on social media showing a young Muslim kicking a dog that was accompanying Hindu pilgrims in Sri Lanka. This video fueled religious tensions, and following it, one user made an insulting comment about one of the Hindu deities. In response to this comment, Anujan wrote a post in Tamil about the Prophet of Islam that was heavily criticized.
Although Anujan quickly deleted his post and apologized, the image of his post reached his employer and Saudi authorities, resulting in his arrest in Saudi Arabia on July 1. Anujan's brother stated that individuals in Sri Lanka sent his post's image to the company where he worked, and the company informed Saudi authorities about the matter.
Despite the lifting of the death sentence, it remains unclear whether this decision will lead to Anujan Sivirasa's release. Faiz Mustafa, a member of the Sri Lankan parliament, has confirmed that the case will be returned to a lower court to decide on reinstating the five-year prison sentence or issuing another ruling. Anujan's family has been unable to contact him since September 28.
International human rights organizations had also called for a halt to this punishment for Anujan before the death sentence was lifted. Joy Shia, a senior researcher on Saudi Arabia at Human Rights Watch, emphasized that Saudi authorities should refrain from imposing heavy penalties for freedom of expression cases, especially for migrant workers.
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