Saudi Supreme Court Sends Back Sri Lankan Engineer's Death Sentence Case for Fresh Hearing

UPDATE - follow-up to Saudi Supreme Court sets aside Sri Lankan migrant worker's death penalty: A fresh sentence is expected in the case of Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa, whose death penalty was set aside by the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia on October 14, 2026.

What's Next

Upul Kumarapperuma, a senior lawyer and President's Counsel who was part of the Sri Lankan government team sent to Riyadh, stated that the case has now been referred back to the lower court that originally heard it. The matter is expected to be heard within two weeks, at which point a new sentence will likely be delivered.

Context

This legal development follows sustained diplomatic and legal actions by the Government of Sri Lanka after the 24-year-old engineer from Ampara was sentenced over a Facebook post. Saudi Arabia maintains strict laws regarding speech deemed offensive to Islam, while international human rights bodies have frequently raised concerns over the country's high rate of capital punishment.