The Anojan Sivarasa Saudi pardon effort moves forward as President AKD pledges a formal appeal to the Saudi King and further legal action.
COLOMBO — President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken a direct role in efforts to save Sri Lankan national Sivarasa Anojan, pledging a formal written appeal to the King of Saudi Arabia for clemency while the Government pursues further legal and diplomatic action.
The intervention came after Anojan’s parents met the President at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday and appealed for urgent action to protect their son’s life.
After hearing the family’s concerns, Dissanayake said the Government was making every possible effort to secure clemency through both legal and diplomatic channels. He told them that steps would be taken to submit a formal written diplomatic request to the Saudi King seeking a pardon.
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said his ministry was continuing to follow the case through the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh and engaging Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels.
The Attorney General’s Department is also preparing for another legal step. According to information released following discussions at the Presidential Secretariat, an appeal is expected to be filed before the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia within the stipulated 30-day period in an effort to obtain relief from the reported death sentence.
President orders action to be expedited
A separate high-level discussion chaired by President Dissanayake was held at the Presidential Secretariat later on Monday to review the measures already taken and examine the legal and diplomatic options still available.
Officials were instructed to expedite further action and maintain continuous diplomatic engagement with the relevant Saudi authorities.
Dissanayake also stressed the need for close coordination among the ministries and institutions involved, pointing to the Government’s responsibility for the safety and welfare of Sri Lankans living and working overseas.
Among those attending the discussion were Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer, Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof, Foreign Ministry Secretary Aruni Ranaraja, Defence Ministry Secretary retired Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.
The President’s involvement marks an escalation in Sri Lanka’s efforts to obtain relief for Anojan, whose case has generated appeals from his family, political representatives, religious organisations and civil society groups.
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The Morning TelegraphClemency appeals gather momentum
Separate appeals for clemency are also being pursued outside the Government.
The National Shoora Council of Sri Lanka has appealed to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to consider granting royal clemency to Anojan on humanitarian grounds.
An international human rights organisation has also submitted an appeal through the Saudi Embassy in Colombo seeking relief for him.
Subhashana Subawickrama, identified in the source material as the director of the organisation involved in that initiative, told the media after submitting the letter that clemency could not be regarded as certain.
He argued that diplomatic engagement offered the most constructive path and cautioned against protests or inflammatory public statements that, in his view, could complicate efforts to obtain relief.
His warning represents his assessment of the situation rather than an announced position of the Saudi authorities.
Legal options remain open
Anojan was initially sentenced by the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court to five years’ imprisonment and fined three million Saudi riyals in connection with an alleged social media statement considered offensive to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
Following appellate proceedings, Sri Lankan authorities and Anojan’s family were informed that the punishment had been increased to a death sentence.
Earlier in the case, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh said it had been informed verbally of the reported sentence by Anojan’s lawyer while awaiting the formal written judgment.
The latest Government announcement indicates that legal action has not ended with the appellate decision. The Attorney General’s Department says a further appeal will be taken to the Saudi Supreme Court within the permitted 30-day period.
That legal avenue will proceed alongside the Government’s diplomatic initiative seeking royal clemency.
Family appeals directly to President
For Anojan’s parents, Monday’s meeting provided an opportunity to take their plea directly to Sri Lanka’s head of state.
They briefed the President on their son’s circumstances and asked him to intervene urgently to protect his life.
Dissanayake assured the family that the Government would continue pursuing available avenues and that the case was receiving attention at the highest levels.
Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer and members of Anojan’s family were also present during the meeting.
The next phase will therefore proceed on two fronts: a further legal challenge through Saudi Arabia’s judicial system and diplomatic efforts seeking clemency from the Saudi monarch.
Neither avenue guarantees an outcome. The Government, however, has now committed to pursuing both as efforts intensify to prevent Anojan’s reported death sentence from being carried out.
