Sri Lankan’s death sentence for adultery reduced to three years in jail on appeal.
The woman, 45, who is married and had worked as a domestic helper in Riyadh since 2013, was convicted in August of adultery with a fellow Sri Lankan migrant worker. The man was given a lesser punishment of 100 lashes because he was not married.
Sri Lanka’s acting foreign minister, Harsha de Silva, said the appeal against the death sentence was taken up by the Saudi court on Tuesday and he welcomed the outcome.
“The government of Sri Lanka is very happy to announce that the appeal for clemency on the sentence was successful and the Sri Lankan national will have to serve a reduced term in prison,” De Silva told reporters in Colombo.
Foreign employment minister, Thalatha Atukorale, said the woman’s sentence had been reduced to three years.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi side. The woman’s name has not been disclosed by Saudi or Sri Lankan authorities.