Saudi Arabia drops all charges against Sri Lankan national Anojan Sivarasa
Summarised by AI from 12 articles
Saudi Arabia's Public Prosecution decided on November 9, 2026, to drop all legal proceedings against Sri Lankan national Anojan Sivarasa, officially closing his case and clearing him of all penalties.
Sivarasa was initially sentenced to five years in prison and fined three million Saudi riyals over an allegedly offensive Facebook post. An appeals court later sentenced him to death on September 17, though Lankadeepa reported September 27.
The death sentence was overturned in mid-October—reported as October 13 by Aruna and Ada Derana, and October 14 by other outlets—following diplomatic interventions and assistance from Sri Lankan lawyers.
Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath announced on November 11 that authorities are arranging Sivarasa's return to Sri Lanka within two weeks.
Read the original reports
How the story developed
- EසිதForeign Minister Vijitha Herath announced government plans to fund Sivarasa's return to Sri Lanka.
- EසිதThis storySaudi Arabia dropped all legal proceedings and cleared Anojan Sivarasa of all charges.
- සිThe Myanmar Hindu Munnani commended President Dissanayake for securing the commutation of Sivarasa's sentence.
- සිதAmbassador Ameer Ajwad visited Anojan Sivarasa in prison to discuss upcoming retrial proceedings.
