The government has accelerated efforts to secure legal relief for Anojan Sivarasa, a Sri Lankan national facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.
Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament that a team of Sri Lankan lawyers has already traveled to Saudi Arabia to make the necessary preparations for filing an appeal with the country’s Supreme Court on his behalf.
The Minister noted that the deadline for filing the appeal is October 17, and the legal team expects to submit it before that date with the guidance and assistance of a Saudi law firm. He further stated that Sri Lankan legal experts and Saudi legal consultants are collaborating to draft the appeal, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, and the Attorney General’s Department are coordinating to provide the necessary legal and consular assistance to Sivarasa.
He noted that, during discussions, it was conveyed that Saudi authorities have not responded favorably to diplomatic interventions while the case is pending before the Supreme Court, and that any such intervention should only take place after the judicial process has concluded.
Meanwhile, commenting on reports that Anojan Sivarasa was recently assaulted in prison, the Minister stated that officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy visited the prison on October 6 to inquire into the incident and met with the prison warden and the prison medical officer. According to information provided by Saudi prison authorities to the Sri Lankan Embassy, an altercation between Sivarasa and another inmate sharing his cell escalated into a physical assault.
Minister Vijitha Herath stated that prison authorities and a medical officer informed Sri Lankan officials that Sivarasa sustained minor injuries—specifically scratches to his face—during the incident, and that no knives, sharp objects, or other weapons were used in the assault.
However, the Minister further confirmed that officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy were not granted permission to meet Sivarasa during that inspection visit.
The Minister noted that prison authorities have assured Sri Lankan officials there is currently no threat to Sivarasa’s life and that necessary measures have been taken to ensure his safety; steps have also been taken to transfer Sivarasa to a different cell.