By The Pulseline News Desk
The reported escalation of a Saudi Arabian prison sentence against Sri Lankan migrant worker Sivarasa Anojan to the death penalty has triggered urgent calls for legal and diplomatic intervention, while the Sri Lankan Government awaits formal confirmation of the reported judgment.
Anojan, from Narpittimunai in Kalmunai, was initially sentenced by a Saudi court on July 15 to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of SAR 3 million over a social media comment reportedly deemed insulting to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
His family says they have subsequently been informed that the sentence was increased to capital punishment following an appeal. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not officially confirmed that a death sentence has been imposed, saying the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh is awaiting the formal written judgment.
The case has meanwhile become a growing consular and political concern, with Anojan’s mother appealing directly to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Government to do everything possible to secure her son’s safe return to Sri Lanka.
Government pursues legal and diplomatic options
Cabinet spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has said earlier this week that the Government was consulting Anojan’s family regarding the lodging of an appeal while simultaneously exploring diplomatic avenues.
These include seeking clemency from the Saudi authorities, including a possible royal pardon or reduction of the sentence.
In its September 18 statement, the Foreign Ministry said the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh, in coordination with the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Colombo, was closely monitoring developments.
The Ministry said it remained engaged with Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels and was taking appropriate measures to safeguard Anojan’s interests and provide him with all possible assistance.
The Ministry has not, however, disclosed details of the reported appellate judgment or confirmed the current legal status of the case.
Questions over appeal process
The reported development has also raised questions over the handling of Anojan’s appeal and the legal assistance provided to his family.
Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has said he intends to raise the matter in Parliament next week, questioning aspects of the Foreign Ministry’s handling of the case and the consular accountability surrounding the appeal.
According to Rasamanickam, the family proceeded with the appeal after receiving advice from Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra, despite what he has said was an assessment by the Sri Lankan Embassy that the prospects of success were “extremely low.”
Rasamanickam has said the family paid Rs. 1.89 million in legal fees to an account identified with the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after being instructed to do so.
He has further said documents from the Ministry’s Consular Division had indicated that the appeal was filed on August 24, while the Ministry’s letter forwarding the appeal to the family was dated September 16.
Questions have also been raised over the lawyer who had represented Anojan. The appeal reportedly identified Attorney Adlan Abdullah Al-Subaie as counsel, while the family claims another lawyer had appeared before court without them being informed of his identity or contact details.
Rasamanickam has questioned who had selected and instructed the lawyer, how the legal fees were disbursed and why the family was not given the appeal documents earlier.
He has said these issues would have to be examined, but stressed that questions of accountability should not delay efforts to protect Anojan.
He has called for experienced independent legal representation, pursuit of all remaining legal remedies and clemency proceedings, together with diplomatic representations at the highest level.
Calls for clemency
Former Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has also urged the Saudi authorities to consider clemency, while stressing that the reported death sentence has not yet been formally confirmed by Sri Lankan authorities.
Sabry has said the formal written judgment was still awaited and has argued that the reported punishment should be considered in light of the circumstances surrounding the case.
According to reports cited by Sabry, Anojan had removed the social media comment within minutes and subsequently issued a public video apology.
Sabry has said an offensive social media remark should leave room for repentance and rehabilitation, and has called for effective legal assistance and urgent diplomatic intervention.
“As a Muslim, I believe deeply in Allah’s mercy,” Sabry has said, stressing the importance of compassion in responding to human failings.
He has appealed to the Saudi authorities to grant Anojan clemency and allow him to return to his family.
Political and community pressure builds
The case has also drawn the attention of several opposition parliamentarians and Muslim community representatives.
Former Minister and All Ceylon Makkal Congress leader Rishad Bathiudeen has visited Anojan’s family in Narpittimunai on Friday (18) and said he would engage with the Government and other relevant authorities.
Bathiudeen has said he intended to bring together Muslim parliamentarians to make an urgent appeal to President Dissanayake and the King of Saudi Arabia.
He has also said he would seek the intervention of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama to appeal to the Saudi Government.
Bathiudeen has said MPs Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam and Mano Ganesan had also contacted him regarding the case, with discussions underway on pursuing further action collectively.
For Anojan’s family, however, the political and diplomatic debate is ultimately centred on one immediate concern — whether their son can be brought home alive.
Formal judgment could determine next steps
The absence of the formal written judgment remains a critical element in the case.
While reports of the death sentence have circulated widely, Sri Lankan authorities have so far stopped short of confirming them. The written judgment is expected to establish the precise legal basis of the reported appellate decision and determine what further legal avenues remain available.
The case reportedly originated from a social media comment made by Anojan while he was employed in Saudi Arabia. His family has said the comment arose during an online dispute involving religious communities in Sri Lanka.
The original July 15 sentence reportedly imposed five years’ imprisonment and a SAR 3 million fine. An appeal was subsequently lodged seeking a reduction of the punishment.
The family says they were later informed that the punishment had been escalated to the death penalty.
With the formal judgment still awaited, the Sri Lankan Government faces the immediate challenge of balancing respect for Saudi Arabia’s judicial process with its responsibility to provide consular assistance to a Sri Lankan citizen facing potentially irreversible punishment.
The coming days are therefore likely to be crucial, as the Government, lawyers, political representatives and religious organisations seek to establish the exact legal position and determine what legal and diplomatic avenues remain open to Anojan.
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