• Deputy Speaker to deliver President’s appeal 
• Govt to bear legal costs, reimburse expenses 

The Government has taken a series of measures to secure a pardon for the Sri Lankan national who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for alleged blasphemy, Sivarasa Anojan, Cabinet of Ministers Spokesperson Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said. Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing yesterday (22), Dr Jayatissa said that the Government had been making diplomatic interventions on the matter since the incident was first reported, including through Sri Lankan diplomatic missions abroad. 

He said that arrangements are also being made for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to send a formal appeal to the King of Saudi Arabia, seeking clemency for Anojan and a reduction of his sentence. The Government is also planning to send a cross-party Parliamentary delegation, led by the Deputy Speaker, to deliver the President’s appeal to the Saudi authorities, he said. 

Additionally, the Government has decided to cover the full cost of the legal proceedings related to the case. This includes reimbursing expenses already incurred and covering future expenses associated with the proceedings. 

Dr Jayatissa said that two President’s Counsels (PCs), Upul Kumarapperuma and Faiszer Musthapha, are also providing legal assistance and reviewing the case at their own expense. 

He said that President Dissanayake had discussed the matter with Anojan’s family on Monday (21), while a separate meeting had previously been held with officials from the Attorney General’s Department, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and other relevant institutions to discuss possible measures to secure Anojan’s release from the death sentence.

“The Government is continuing to pursue several measures in this regard,” Dr Jayatissa said, emphasising that diplomatic, legal and political channels are being pursued to assist Anojan.

A discussion was held at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday to review further measures concerning Anojan. The discussion focused on measures taken so far and considered further diplomatic and legal steps that could be pursued in connection with the case. Officials also reviewed ongoing coordination with the Saudi Arabian authorities and the progress of the efforts being undertaken in relation to the case. The authorities are continuing to explore available diplomatic and legal avenues concerning Anojan’s situation.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa spoke by telephone with Anojan, who is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. The telephone conversation took place during a meeting between Premadasa and Anojan’s relatives on Monday. The relatives met Premadasa seeking his intervention in efforts to secure a pardon for Anojan from the Saudi authorities. The telephone conversation took place during a period allocated by the Saudi authorities for Anojan to communicate with his family.

Elsewhere, the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) has launched an appeal to the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, seeking a pardon for Anojan. The ACMC has begun collecting signatures from Parliamentarians in support of the appeal. It has also written to the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, the National Shoora Council and the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, requesting their intervention through the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Sri Lanka to convey the humanitarian appeal to the Saudi authorities. The ACMC said that it remains closely concerned about the situation facing Anojan and his family and will pursue all available legal and diplomatic avenues to seek relief for them.

Migrant worker Anojan was sentenced to death after the Saudi prosecution appealed for him to be dealt with under the Sharia law instead of the country’s cybercrime law. Dr Jayatissa said that the initial sentence had been imposed under Saudi Arabia’s cybercrime law. An appeal submitted on behalf of Anojan had also been rejected, according to the Government. He appealed to political leaders not to turn the matter into a political issue, saying that it involved the life of a young Sri Lankan and that diplomatic and legal efforts should be allowed to continue.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed that the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh remains engaged with the Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels and is providing assistance to Anojan and his family.

Addressing Parliament earlier, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said that Anojan was initially sentenced to five years in prison under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law. Herath said that Anojan, who was born on 20 December 1999, travelled to Saudi Arabia for employment on 4 September of last year (2025) and worked for the Dennis Arabia Company Limited under the Japura Upstream Pipeline Phase II project. He said that Anojan’s family had written to the Ministry on 1 July of this year (2026) seeking assistance to bring him back to Sri Lanka after a Facebook post had affected his employment. On the same day, the Embassy contacted his employer and requested assistance to bring him back to Sri Lanka. However, on 2 July, the company informed the Embassy that Anojan had been arrested by the Saudi police. According to information provided to the Embassy by the company, Anojan was alleged to have violated Saudi laws relating to cybercrime through a religiously sensitive statement posted on social media, which was considered to constitute a religious insult. Herath said that a trial was held remotely on 27 July before a three-member criminal court. According to the court judgement, Anojan was found guilty under Article 6(1) of the Law. However, the court did not find him guilty of the religious-insult charge brought by the Public Prosecutor. He said that the lawyer appearing on behalf of the Saudi Government had requested that Anojan be sentenced to death under Sharia law rather than the cybercrime law. However, the first court had not accepted that request. The court instead sentenced Anojan to five years in prison from the date of his arrest, imposed a fine of Saudi Riyal three million, ordered the confiscation of the relevant electronic device and ordered the closure of the relevant social media account. Herath said that the judgement also recorded that Anojan had confessed to the relevant act during both the investigation and the trial. He had also submitted a Facebook video acknowledging that he had committed the offence, he said. Following the judgement, an Embassy official visited the court on 30 July and obtained a certified copy of the judgement, which was sent to the Ministry. The official also visited the prison where Anojan was being held and spoke to him by telephone. During the conversation, Anojan requested assistance to appeal against the judgement. Herath said that the Embassy informed the Ministry of the request on the same day, and the Ministry informed Anojan’s family on 31 July about the judgement and the appeal process. On 4 August, Anojan’s father, Thambirasa Sivarasa, formally requested the Ministry to provide the necessary assistance to file an appeal on behalf of his son. Accordingly, the Embassy consulted a Saudi legal consultancy firm that had handled the Embassy’s legal matters for several years and facilitated the filing of an appeal on Anojan’s behalf. The legal firm submitted a memorandum of appeal to the relevant Court of Appeal on 24 August.