Sri Lankan President to Seek Saudi King’s Pardon for Youth Facing Reported Death Sentence
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says Colombo will pursue legal and diplomatic channels to seek clemency for Anojan Sivarasa.
Colombo, Sep 21: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has pledged to pursue legal and diplomatic measures to seek a pardon from Saudi Arabia for national Anojan Sivarasa, who has reportedly been sentenced to death by a Saudi court.
Dissanayake made the assurance after meeting Sivarasa’s parents at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday. He said the government would make a formal written appeal to the King of Saudi Arabia seeking clemency for their son.
Sivarasa, a member of Sri Lanka’s Tamil community from the Eastern Province, travelled to Saudi Arabia for employment about nine months ago. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison and fined three million Saudi riyals over social media content that was deemed insulting to a religion, according to reports.
His family has said that the punishment was later increased to death following an appeal. Sri Lankan authorities have been closely monitoring the case through the country’s embassy in Riyadh and maintaining contact with Saudi officials.
The Attorney General’s Department has also indicated that steps will be taken to file an appeal before the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia within the stipulated period. The government is pursuing both legal and diplomatic avenues in an effort to obtain relief for Sivarasa.
The Foreign Ministry had earlier said that Sivarasa’s case was undergoing judicial proceedings and that diplomatic engagement with Saudi authorities was continuing. It also said appropriate measures were being taken to safeguard his interests and provide assistance.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa also met Sivarasa’s family on Monday. The case has meanwhile attracted wider political attention in Sri Lanka, with calls for diplomatic intervention to secure relief for the young migrant worker.
The reported death sentence follows an earlier prison term and fine imposed by a Saudi court. The Sri Lankan government is now seeking clemency while simultaneously pursuing available legal remedies in Saudi Arabia.
