Former Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has urged Saudi Arabian authorities to grant clemency to Sri Lankan national Anojan Sivarasa following reports that his five-year prison sentence has been escalated to a death sentence over an offensive social media comment.
Expressing deep concern over the reported development, Sabry said Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry had not confirmed the death sentence and that the formal written judgment was still awaited.
“Respect for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and legal system does not require silence in the face of disproportionate punishment,” Sabry said.
He described a five-year prison sentence for an offensive social media comment as excessive, adding that imposing the death penalty for such an act would be “grossly disproportionate, inhumane, and unacceptable.”
Sabry said reports that Sivarasa had removed the comment within minutes and issued a public video apology deserved serious consideration.
“An offensive remark should not extinguish a person’s opportunity to repent, learn, and rebuild his life,” he said.
Referring to his Islamic faith, Sabry emphasized the importance of mercy and compassion in responding to human failings.
The former foreign minister called on the Sri Lankan government to secure effective legal assistance for Sivarasa and pursue urgent diplomatic intervention at the highest level.
“I respectfully urge the Saudi authorities to show mercy and grant Anojan clemency,” Sabry said.
“Justice must leave room for compassion. Anojan deserves the chance to return to his family and rebuild his life.”
The reported death sentence remains unconfirmed by Sri Lankan authorities, pending the formal written judgment.
For Anojan’s family, the financial burden was enormous. His parents said they were struggling to meet both the court-imposed fine and the legal expenses required to challenge the conviction. They subsequently appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for assistance and humanitarian intervention.
A social-media dispute that spiralled into a criminal case
The case reportedly began with a highly emotional dispute in Kalmunai, in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, surrounding the Kataragama Pada Yatra pilgrimage.
According to accounts cited by Sri Lankan politicians and activists, Hindu devotees undertaking the pilgrimage were accompanied by a stray dog known as “Subramaniyam.” The animal was allegedly kicked or assaulted by a Muslim youth, triggering anger and heated debate on social media. Anojan became involved in the online exchanges and allegedly posted a comment directed at the Prophet Muhammad that Saudi authorities subsequently treated as religiously offensive.
Reports say the Facebook post was subsequently deleted and that Anojan publicly apologized for the remarks. His supporters have maintained that the comment was made in the heat of an emotionally charged online dispute rather than as part of a deliberate campaign against Islam.
But screenshots of the original post had reportedly circulated before it was removed. Complaints were subsequently made to Saudi authorities and, according to reports, to his employer. Anojan was then arrested in Saudi Arabia.
Five years in prison and SAR 3 million fine
The first court ruling came from the Criminal Court in Al-Ahsa. According to a July 31 letter from Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Ministry cited by Newswire, Anojan was sentenced to:
- Five years’ imprisonment
- A SAR 3 million fine
- Confiscation of the electronic device involved in the case
- Closure of the social media account connected to the offense
The ministry indicated that an appeal could be filed within 30 days. It also reported that legal advice obtained by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh assessed the prospects of a successful appeal or sentence reduction as “extremely low.”
Appeal brings an even more serious outcome
Jaffna Monitor reported on September 17 that, according to Sri Lankan activist Rajkumar Rajeevkanth, the appeal had resulted in a death sentence. The report said the activist had confirmed the development after following the case.
Newswire on September 18 also reported that Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam had called for immediate action to save Anojan’s life. The MP said he planned to raise the matter in Parliament and questioned aspects of the handling of the appeal.
Another Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, has also called for urgent legal and diplomatic intervention, urging the Sri Lankan government to engage Saudi authorities over the reported death sentence.
Questions over the appeal process
The case has also opened a second front in Colombo over how the appeal was handled.
According to MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam’s account, the family pursued the appeal following advice from Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra, despite the Sri Lankan Embassy’s earlier assessment that the prospects of success were “extremely low.” Rasamanickam said the family had paid approximately Rs. 1.89 million in legal fees into an account associated with the Foreign Ministry secretary after being instructed to do so.
The MP has called for experienced independent legal representation and immediate use of every remaining legal and diplomatic avenue.
Source: newswire.lk, Staff; organiser.org, Staff, September 18, 2026
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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