Saudi Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence of Sri Lankan Worker Over Deleted Facebook Comment
A young construction laborer who traveled thousands of miles away from home to support his family found himself staring at the executioner block over a few words typed on a smartphone screen. An online quarrel that began thousands of miles away in his home island turned into a terrifying legal nightmare in the Gulf. After months of desperate diplomatic appeals and international outcries, the highest judicial authority in Saudi Arabia intervened to cancel the capital punishment order, saving the young worker from imminent execution.
The dramatic case shines an unforgiving spotlight on the extreme vulnerability of millions of foreign laborers living across the Middle East. Traveling abroad on short-term visas, these workers often find that casual arguments or careless social media posts can quickly trigger severe criminal charges under harsh local blasphemy and cybercrime laws. For this young man, a fleeting exchange on the internet spiraled out of control so fast that it nearly cost him his life.
The controversy originated far from Saudi territory during a traditional religious walk in Sri Lanka. Pilgrims traveling on foot toward the holy shrine of Kataragama, dedicated to the Hindu deity Skanda, were accompanied by a stray dog named Subramani. The friendly animal became a beloved companion along the dusty pilgrimage route, catching widespread public attention. However, tensions flared online after a video surfaced showing a man kicking the animal, triggering furious exchanges across community message boards.
During the angry digital brawl that followed, participants traded insults about different faiths. When another user published derogatory remarks mocking a Hindu god, twenty-seven-year-old migrant laborer Anojan Sivarasa lost his composure. Sitting in his living quarters in Saudi Arabia after a long workday, he typed a reply in his native Tamil language that local authorities later determined to be deeply offensive to the Prophet Muhammad.
Realizing almost immediately that his words were reckless, Sivarasa deleted the comment from the public thread. He then recorded and uploaded a video apologizing directly for what he had said, asking viewers for forgiveness and explaining that he had spoken in anger during a heated debate. Despite his rapid attempt to make amends, someone had already captured a screenshot of the original message before it disappeared.
Rather than letting the apology settle the dispute, individuals back in Sri Lanka tracked down his workplace in the Gulf. They sent emails containing the screenshot directly to his corporate employer in the eastern province of Al-Ahsa. His employer handed the digital files over to Saudi security forces, leading to the young worker's immediate arrest in July. Officers seized his personal electronic devices and wiped his social media accounts as state prosecutors prepared criminal charges.
The legal punishment escalated with terrifying speed. In late July, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court convicted Sivarasa under the kingdom's strict anti-cybercrime statutes. The local judge handed down a five-year prison term alongside an enormous financial fine of three million Saudi riyals, an amount equal to roughly eight hundred thousand dollars. For an impoverished construction laborer whose family survived on his monthly salary, paying such an astronomical fine was impossible, yet far worse news lay ahead.
When the file moved up to an appellate court in September, judges decided that a five-year prison sentence was not harsh enough. Citing religious rules against blasphemy, the appeals bench threw out the original ruling and sentenced Sivarasa to death by beheading. The verdict sent shockwaves through his family back home, who described their household as plunging into immediate mourning, terrified that their main provider would be executed without warning.
Conditions inside the detention facility grew increasingly hazardous as word of his charges spread among other inmates. While held at Dammam Central Prison, Sivarasa was assaulted inside his cell by another prisoner armed with a makeshift blade, suffering deep cuts and injuries to his head and face. The violent attack prompted the Sri Lankan ambassador to visit the detention facility in person to check on his physical condition and demand better protection from prison wardens.
Back in Sri Lanka, the death sentence triggered an urgent national rescue effort that cut across political and religious lines. Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim community leaders united to plead for royal clemency, while human rights advocates warned that executing a laborer over a deleted internet comment would cause lasting damage to the kingdom's international standing. The government in Colombo dispatched senior legal counsel to Riyadh to coordinate an official petition before the Saudi Supreme Court.
The breakthrough came on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, when Sri Lankan officials confirmed that the Saudi Supreme Court had formally set aside the death sentence. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake publicly welcomed the humane outcome, thanking Saudi authorities and diplomatic teams for their tireless intervention. He pledged that his administration would continue providing full legal assistance until the young man is safely reunited with his family.
Legal experts caution that while the immediate danger of execution has been lifted, Sivarasa is not yet a free man. The Supreme Court referred the case back to the original criminal court for a fresh hearing, which is expected to take place within two weeks to determine a revised sentence. Nevertheless, the decision to revoke capital punishment marks a rare and welcome victory for quiet diplomacy, proving that international dialogue can sometimes pull a vulnerable citizen back from the edge of catastrophe.