A deleted Facebook comment brought a death sentence. A Saudi court has now overturned it

A Sri Lankan migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa, faced a death penalty in Saudi Arabia after a deleted Facebook comment. The case began when a Muslim youth kicked a Hindu pilgrim's dog, leading to public outrage and a video apology from the youth. Sivarasa, who had responded to another user's disrespectful remarks about a Hindu deity in Tamil, had initially deleted his comment and posted a video apology.

However, a screenshot of his deleted comment survived and led to his arrest. Despite a public apology and subsequent release, Sivarasa was arrested in July 2026 and sentenced to death by the Court of Appeal in September. The verdict, which treated the offense as a fixed punishment under Islamic law, drew criticism from Amnesty International, which called for Sivarasa's unconditional release.

The Sri Lankan government, through diplomatic efforts, intervened and successfully appealed the death sentence to the Supreme Court, which overturned it on October 13. Sivarasa's family expressed relief, and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka praised the decision, emphasizing the importance of diplomatic intervention and legal processes.