Saudi Arabia overturns Anojan Sivarasa’s death sentence over Facebook post
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has set aside Anojan Sivarasa’s death sentence over a Facebook post termed blasphemous against Islam.
Sri Lankan deputy foreign minister Arun Hemachandra disclosed this in a social media post on Wednesday.
“On 13 October 2026, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia set aside the judgment imposing the death penalty on Anojan Sivarasa,” Mr Hemachandra said. “This follows sustained diplomatic and legal efforts by the Government of Sri Lanka.”
This comes amid global uproar over the Saudi appellate court’s verdict sentencing Mr Sivarasa to death over a Facebook post.
Mr Sivarasa, 27, a Sri Lankan migrant worker, was sentenced to death by a Saudi appellate court in September over Facebook comments deemed blasphemous against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Africa
Tinubu’s petrol subsidy removal offers lessons for African countries: Oyedele
Mr Oyedele said the reforms showed the importance of introducing economic policies in the right order, explaining government decisions clearly and gaining public trust.
Abuja
Nigeria’s foreign reserves highest in 18 years, hitting $59 billion
Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $58.81 billion by October 12, 2026, the highest level recorded since November 19, 2008, when reserves were $58.91 billion.
Education
YABATECH rector urges recognition of administrative staff
YABATECH rector described the registry as the institution’s administrative backbone, urging sustained investment in staff capacity development.
Economy
Edo assembly considers N77 billion supplementary appropriation billÂ
The bill scaled second reading during plenary on Tuesday, following Governor Monday Okpebholo’s request for legislative consideration of the proposed supplementary budget.
Economy
Stock market sheds N144 billion amid sell-offs
The Nigerian stock market shed N144 billion on Tuesday as sell-offs in 21 equities pushed key performance indicators down by 0.09 per cent.
World
UN chief proposes $3 billion budget for 2027, urges stable financing
UN secretary-general António Guterres has unveiled a proposed programme budget of $3.3 billion for 2027, stressing the need for stable financing.
