Sri Lanka to Appeal to Saudi King for Pardon of Citizen Facing Death Penalty

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake confirmed that the Sri Lankan government will submit a formal written diplomatic appeal to the King of Saudi Arabia to seek clemency for Anojan Sivarasa, a Sri Lankan national facing capital punishment in the kingdom.

The announcement followed a meeting in Colombo between the President and Sivarasa’s parents, during which Dissanayake reassured the family of the state's full support. He emphasized that the government is utilizing all available legal mechanisms and diplomatic channels in an active push to obtain a pardon for the migrant worker.

Sivarasa’s relatives turned to the state for urgent assistance after an appellate court escalated his original penalty to a death sentence. He had initially received a five-year prison term alongside a fine of three million Saudi riyals over an online post deemed offensive to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained ongoing diplomatic engagement with authorities in Riyadh, officials earlier clarified that they were awaiting a copy of the official written judicial ruling before formally confirming the upgraded death penalty. In the interim, official avenues are moving forward to ensure the royal clemency petition is submitted directly to the Saudi monarch.