Saudi Arabia cancels death sentence for Sri Lankan who insulted Prophet Muhammad

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence on a Sri Lankan man who insulted the Prophet Muhammad on Facebook, according to reports.

Last month, Riyadh sentenced Anojan Sivarasa, 27, to death after convicting him of blasphemy against Islam over his Facebook comment.

But according to Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister, Arun Hemachandra, Saudi Arabia’s top court overturned the sentence.

Hemachandra confirmed the move in a Facebook post on Wednesday and thanked Riyadh for agreeing to commute the death sentence.

Earlier this year, footage of a Muslim man kicking a dog following a Hindu pilgrimage went viral, leading to online arguments between Hindus and Muslims.

In the comment section, Sivarasa responded to another user who wrote a derogatory comment about a Hindu deity by insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

But despite Sivarasa deleting the comment and posting an apology video, a screenshot of the exchange was sent to his employer and Saudi officials, leading to his arrest in July.

This Saudi woman was strolling through a village in a skirt. Now she's been arrested. https://t.co/r2h6KTJubE

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 19, 2017

Sivarasa remains imprisoned, with no confirmation of whether further legal proceedings will follow.

When the court found Sivarasa guilty, the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court concurrently sentenced the 27-year-old to five years in prison and fined him 3 million Saudi riyals ($800,000). 

The sentencing was handed down against the backdrop of intense criticism of Riyadh's legal system. 

Riyadh relies on interpretations of Islamic law, alongside cybercrime and counter-terror legislation to target online expression under the guise of protecting "public morals". 

This has resulted in a surge of decades-long prison terms for social media users and an increased use of capital punishment.

At least 175 people have been executed so far this year, the majority of whom are foreign nationals.