President to Personally Appeal to Saudi King for Anojan Sivarasa’s Clemency

COLOMBO (News 1st); A personal appeal from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to the King of Saudi Arabia is set to become the latest step in Sri Lanka’s efforts to secure relief for Sri Lankan national Anojan Sivarasa, who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia.

Addressing Parliament, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath revealed that the President will send a formal letter to the Saudi monarch requesting clemency for Sivarasa, while the Government is also considering dispatching a special parliamentary delegation to personally deliver the appeal.

The Minister said Sri Lanka is pursuing legal, diplomatic and consular avenues simultaneously in an effort to obtain a pardon, sentence reduction or any other relief available under Saudi law.

According to Minister Herath, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh has maintained direct contact with Sivarasa and continues to provide all necessary consular and welfare assistance. The Government has also instructed the mission to urgently obtain details relating to possible appeals or review mechanisms available before the Saudi Supreme Court and other judicial authorities.

The Minister further disclosed that President’s Counsels Upul Kumarapperuma and Faizer Musthapha have agreed to travel to Saudi Arabia at their own expense to engage with legal representatives and provide assistance in pursuing available legal remedies.

Herath also announced that because Sivarasa was registered with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, the Government will bear all legal costs incurred in Saudi Arabia and reimburse expenses already paid by his family.

Providing Parliament with a detailed account of the case, the Minister said Sivarasa’s family first contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 1, 2026, seeking assistance to bring him back to Sri Lanka after issues arose regarding his employment following a social media post.

On the same day, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh contacted his employer seeking information and requesting support for his repatriation. However, on July 2, the company informed the embassy that Sivarasa had been arrested by Saudi authorities.

According to information provided by the company, Saudi authorities alleged that a religiously sensitive statement published on social media violated the country's cybercrime laws and constituted a religious insult.

The Minister said that on July 27, a trial was conducted through remote technology before a three-judge criminal court. The court subsequently found Sivarasa guilty under Saudi Arabia’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law and initially sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, imposed a fine of three million Saudi Riyals, ordered the confiscation of the relevant electronic device and directed the closure of the social media account concerned.

Herath noted that the criminal court did not accept the prosecution’s request at that stage to impose punishment under Sharia law on grounds of religious insult.

Following that ruling, Sri Lankan embassy officials obtained a certified copy of the judgment and later communicated with Sivarasa regarding an appeal. According to the Minister, Sivarasa himself requested assistance in filing an appeal against the conviction.

The Ministry subsequently informed his family of the judgment and the appeals process, while Sivarasa’s father formally requested Government support to proceed with an appeal.

Acting on that request, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh facilitated legal representation through a Saudi legal firm that had previously handled matters for the mission. An appeal was filed before the relevant Saudi appellate court on August 24.

However, Herath revealed that while Sivarasa’s legal team sought a reduction in the sentence, Saudi prosecutors had separately filed their own appeal seeking a harsher punishment under Sharia law.

According to the Minister, regardless of whether Sivarasa’s side had appealed, Saudi prosecutors had already challenged the original sentence on the basis that it was insufficient.

On September 18, Sri Lankan authorities were informed that the appellate court had accepted the prosecution’s appeal and increased the sentence to death. The formal written judgment was subsequently received through legal counsel and transmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Herath said the appellate court had reclassified the offence under Sharia law and interpreted the social media post as an act of insulting, leading to the imposition of the death sentence. The appellate court also upheld orders relating to the confiscation of the electronic device and closure of the social media account.

The Minister told Parliament that all available legal options under Saudi criminal procedure laws are currently being examined in consultation with legal experts in both Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia.

In addition to legal action, Sri Lanka is also preparing diplomatic interventions. Herath said he expects to meet the Saudi Foreign Minister during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly sessions and intends to raise the matter directly.

The Government is also exploring a range of diplomatic options, including requesting that the death sentence not be carried out, seeking clemency, pursuing a commutation of the sentence or obtaining any other form of relief available under Saudi law.

The Foreign Minister emphasized that the Government has been engaged on the matter from the outset and remains in regular contact with both Sivarasa and his family.

He urged all parties to act responsibly and avoid statements or actions that could negatively affect ongoing judicial and diplomatic processes, stressing that preserving social harmony and exercising restraint remain crucial while efforts to secure relief for Sivarasa continue.