JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka is pursuing both legal and diplomatic efforts to assist Sivarasa Anojan, the Sri Lankan migrant worker sentenced by a Saudi Arabian court over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad, with officials confirming that discussions are underway on filing an appeal while seeking clemency from the Saudi government.
Cabinet spokesman and Minister of Health and Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa said Tuesday that the government was consulting Anojan's family about lodging an appeal and simultaneously exploring diplomatic options, including a royal pardon or a reduction of his sentence.
Mr. Jayatissa made the remarks during the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing in Colombo in response to questions about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' handling of the case.
Under Saudi law, he said, the period available to appeal is limited, and the consent of Anojan's family is required before any appeal can proceed.
"We are discussing the matter with the family," Mr. Jayatissa said, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through Sri Lanka's Embassy in Riyadh, was also engaged in diplomatic discussions with Saudi authorities to explore the possibility of obtaining a royal pardon, a reduced sentence, or other forms of relief.
His comments mark the Sri Lankan government's first detailed public explanation of the steps it is taking since news of Anojan's conviction emerged earlier this week.
An official notification from Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, issued after receiving the judgment from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh, states that the Criminal Court in Al-Ahsa found Anojan guilty under Saudi law and sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, effective from the date of his initial detention.
The court also imposed a fine of three million Saudi riyals, ordered the confiscation of the electronic device allegedly used in committing the offence and directed the closure of the social media account connected to the case.
The document further states that the judgment may be appealed within 30 days of its receipt. However, it notes that, according to legal advice obtained by the Sri Lankan Embassy from a Saudi lawyer, the likelihood of the appellate court accepting an appeal or reducing the sentence is considered "extremely low." The embassy nevertheless outlined legal options should Anojan decide to pursue an appeal.
Anojan, a Sri Lankan Tamil from Kalmunai working in Saudi Arabia, was convicted after Saudi authorities determined that a Facebook comment he posted constituted an insult to the Prophet Muhammad.
The case drew widespread attention in Sri Lanka after it became linked to this year's Pada Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage to Kataragama. During the pilgrimage, a stray dog named Subramani by devotees became an unlikely social media sensation after accompanying pilgrims for hundreds of kilometres.
Public attention intensified after a video showed a young Muslim man kicking the dog in Kalmunai, prompting widespread condemnation and his subsequent arrest before he was released on bail.
As debate over the incident spread online, inflammatory comments targeting different religious communities appeared across social media. According to Anojan's family, one of his Facebook comments later became the basis of the Saudi prosecution.
The case has unsettled Sri Lanka's migrant worker community and reignited debate over the legal risks faced by citizens employed in countries with strict blasphemy laws.
Saudi Arabia enforces stringent laws governing speech considered offensive to Islam, with online expression capable of attracting prison terms and substantial financial penalties.
Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans work in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf, where remittances remain one of Sri Lanka's largest sources of foreign exchange. Rights groups have long warned that migrant workers can find themselves subject to legal systems that differ significantly from those in their home country.
