A Saudi Arabian appellate court has reportedly sentenced Sri Lankan migrant worker Sivarasa Anojan to death on a charge of blasphemy, according to his family.
Anojan, a Tamil man from Natpiddimunai in Kalmunai, Ampara District, was initially sentenced by the Criminal Court in Al-Ahsa to five years’ imprisonment and fined three million Saudi riyals. However, his lawyer informed the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh that the sentence had been increased to the death penalty following an appeal heard on Thursday (17).
Asian Mirror reliably learns that Anojan’s lawyer verbally communicated the appellate court’s decision to the embassy, which subsequently informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. The embassy is reportedly awaiting the court’s official written judgment.
The Saudi prosecution had also reportedly appealed, seeking an enhancement of the original sentence.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said it had been closely following the case through the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh and in coordination with the Saudi Embassy in Colombo. It added that diplomatic engagement with the Saudi authorities was continuing to safeguard Anojan’s interests. However, the statement did not mention the reported death sentence.
The case arose from a Facebook comment allegedly posted by Anojan during a heated online dispute involving different religious communities. The comment was reportedly considered insulting to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and was subsequently brought to the attention of the Saudi authorities.
The dispute began during this year’s Pada Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage to Kataragama, after a stray dog that had travelled hundreds of kilometres with pilgrims became a social media sensation. Devotees had named the dog Subramaniam.
A video showing a young Muslim man kicking the dog in Kalmunai triggered widespread anger and led to his arrest. He was later released on bail. The incident subsequently escalated into a hostile social media exchange containing inflammatory comments against different religious communities.
Anojan was sentenced in July 2026 to five years in prison and fined three million Saudi riyals over the comment. Following the intervention of Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Arun Hemachandra, his legal representatives appealed against the sentence.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the appeal was submitted to the relevant appellate court on 25 August. However, instead of reducing the punishment, the court reportedly increased it to a death sentence.
Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi Parliamentary Group Leader and Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam called for immediate government intervention at the highest diplomatic level to protect Anojan’s life. He said he planned to raise the matter in Parliament next week.
According to Rasamanickam, the Ministry’s Consular Affairs Division had informed the family that an appeal could be filed within 30 days of the original judgment. However, legal advice obtained by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh had assessed the prospects of a successful appeal or reduction of the sentence as extremely low.
The family said religious leaders had been separately seeking clemency on humanitarian grounds without challenging the judgment. However, they proceeded with the appeal after meeting Deputy Minister Hemachandra and receiving advice to do so.
The family paid Rs. 1,890,766 in legal fees into an account identified as belonging to the Secretary to the Foreign Ministry. Ministry documents show that the Memorandum of Appeal was filed on 24 August 2026, although the ministry’s letter forwarding it to the family was dated 16 September 2026.
The family said the discrepancy contradicted its earlier request for the appeal to be filed. The appeal names Attorney Adlan Abdullah Al-Subaie as counsel, but the family claimed that another lawyer appeared in court and that it had not been provided with that lawyer’s identity or contact details.
Rasamanickam said he would question in Parliament why the family was advised to appeal despite the embassy’s assessment that the prospects of success were extremely low. He said he would also seek answers on the risk assessment conducted before the appeal, the selection of the lawyer who appeared in court, the handling of the legal fees and the oversight exercised by the ministry and embassy.
“A Sri Lankan citizen’s life is reportedly at stake,” Rasamanickam said. “Every available legal, diplomatic, consular and humanitarian avenue must now be pursued.”
Anojan’s family has also released a video appealing to the Sri Lankan authorities to intervene urgently to save his life.
