Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader, MP Mano Ganesan has appealed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to seek the assistance of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in resolving the case of Sri Lankan youth Anojan Sivarasa, who now faces a death sentence in Saudi Arabia.
In a post on ‘X’, MP Ganesan noted that Modi maintains close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is also a longstanding friend of Sri Lanka, having accepted the country’s highest civilian honour, the Sri Lanka Rathna.
“I urge President @anuradisanayake to bring #Anojan_Sivarasa’s desperate plight to the urgent attention of your friend, recipient of ‘Sri Lanka Rathna’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Ganesan wrote.
He appealed to the President to request Modi’s personal intervention with Crown Prince Salman to secure a humanitarian resolution.
The case stems from a social media comment allegedly posted by Sivarasa while working in Saudi Arabia, which was considered insulting to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. His family said the comment was made during an online dispute involving religious communities in Sri Lanka.
On July 15, a Saudi court sentenced him to five years in prison and imposed a fine of three million Saudi riyals. His lawyer, supported by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry, appealed the ruling seeking a reduction in punishment.
However, according to his family, they have since been informed that the sentence was increased to capital punishment.
MP Ganesan’s call comes as Sri Lanka pursues both legal and diplomatic channels to assist Anojan. (Newswire)
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