Saudi Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence of Sri Lankan Engineer Anojan

Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court annulled the death sentence of Sivarasa Anojan on October 13, 2026, Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka reported. Anojan, a young engineer from Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, had been placed on death row following a single social media comment that remained online on Facebook for less than 10 minutes. [1]

Anojan was arrested on July 1, 2026, on charges of blasphemy against Islam over the social media post. On July 27, 2026, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court sentenced him under the Anti-Cybercrime Law to five years in prison and imposed a fine of 3 million Saudi riyals. Amnesty International reported that authorities denied him access to a lawyer from his arrest until after his initial sentencing. [8]

Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka reported that the case became a severe warning for Sri Lankan families with relatives working across the Gulf region. The incident highlighted how quickly a digital comment can travel and how differently online remarks are judged under foreign legal standards. [1]

Sharia represents Islamic law based on religious concepts and has existed alongside other normative legal systems since the eighth and ninth centuries. The top court decision on October 13, 2026, successfully set aside the capital punishment verdict against the engineer. [1][9]