Saudi Court Overturns Sri Lankan Worker's Death Sentence
Should expats face a nation's blasphemy laws in full, or does a death sentence over a Facebook post prove those laws have gone too far?
Above: Stock photo of the General Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Image credit: AFP/Getty Images
The Facts
- Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court set aside the death sentence imposed on Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa on Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said on Wednesday. An appeal had been filed on Sunday.
- An appeals court in September replaced Sivarasa's five-year prison sentence under Saudi Arabia's anti-cybercrime law with the death penalty. Officials have not said whether he must now serve that term or face further legal proceedings.
- Amnesty International urged authorities on Oct. 7 to overturn the conviction and release Sivarasa. Human Rights Watch called for the sentence to be quashed, criticizing the use of laws targeting speech offenses involving migrants.
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The Spin
Government-critical narrative
Nobody deserves to be killed over words typed on Facebook, no matter how ugly those words are. A punishment that leaps from a fine to the gallows shows how dangerous blasphemy law becomes once outrage runs the courtroom. Patient diplomacy saved a young engineer's life, and the job stays unfinished until he is home with his family.
Pro-government narrative
Anyone who takes a job in another country signs up to live by its laws. The Saudi government strongly believes that defaming religious figures only enhances extremism, which is a viewpoint that the international community must empathize with as well.
