Saudi Supreme Court sends Sri Lankan engineer's death sentence back to lower court for fresh ruling

UPDATE - follow-up to Saudi Supreme Court sets aside Sri Lankan migrant worker's death penalty: A fresh sentence is likely in the case of Sri Lankan engineer Anojan Sivarasa after the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia set aside his death penalty and referred the matter back to the lower court that first heard it.

Case Update

Senior lawyer and President's Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, part of a team sent to Riyadh by the Sri Lankan government, confirmed that the lower court is expected to hear the case within two weeks. The 24-year-old worker from Sri Lanka's Ampara district was originally given a five-year prison term over a Facebook post deemed blasphemous, before a Saudi appeals court upgraded the punishment to a death sentence in September.

Context

This development highlights how diplomatic interventions and legal teams can alter outcomes in foreign judicial systems. Saudi Arabia maintains strict laws regarding religious insults on digital platforms, while rights groups continue to monitor capital punishment rates in the kingdom.