Saudi Arabia cancels death sentence for Sri Lankan who insulted Prophet Muhammad
Saudi Arabia cancels death sentence for Sri Lankan who insulted Prophet Muhammad Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Wed, 10/14/2026 - 13:29 A Saudi court sentenced Anojan Sivarasa to death for insulting Islam on Facebook despite deleting comment and apologising. The Supreme Court later reversed the decision A screenshot of Anojan Siravasan insulting the Prophet Muhammad was sent to Saudi officials who…
Saudi Arabia has canceled the death sentence for Sri Lankan Anojan Sivarasa, who was convicted of insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook, according to reports. Sivarasa, 27, was initially sentenced to death after a screenshot of his comment was sent to Saudi officials as evidence. However, the Supreme Court later overturned the decision.
Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister, Arun Hemachandra, confirmed the reversal of the sentence on Facebook and expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for commuting the death penalty. Sivarasa was arrested in July despite deleting the offensive comment and posting an apology video. The court also sentenced him to five years in prison and fined him $800,000.
The case highlights the strict application of Islamic law and cybercrime legislation by Saudi authorities, which has led to numerous long prison terms and capital punishment for online expression, particularly against Islam. At least 175 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia so far this year, the majority of whom are foreign nationals.
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