Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said the Supreme Court set aside Sivarasa’s death sentence on Tuesday. He thanked Saudi officials, Sri Lankan diplomats and lawyers from both countries for their efforts to challenge the punishment.
The screenshot eventually reached Sivarasa’s employer in Saudi Arabia. Sivarasa was arrested in July.
His brother, Hamsidan, said people in Sri Lanka had emailed the image to the employer, who then took the matter to the authorities.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake welcomed the decision while pledging continued support for Sivarasa and his family as the legal proceedings continue. In a post on X, he wrote, “No Sri Lankan who leaves our shores in search of a livelihood should ever feel that they stand alone. What began as an online argument thus became a criminal case, with the punishment escalating sharply as the matter moved through the Saudi judicial system.
Human Rights Watch said Sivarasa had travelled to Saudi Arabia for construction work and was the main earner for his family.
The Supreme Court’s decision follows months of legal proceedings that began with a social media dispute and escalated into a case carrying the death penalty.
However, the ruling does not bring the case to a close. Another hearing was expected within two weeks, and a fresh sentence was likely.
Sri Lankan lawyer Upul Kumarapperuma, who travelled to Riyadh as part of the government-backed legal team, said that the Supreme Court had referred the matter back to the lower court that originally heard it.
