Sri Lankan lawmaker seeks Modi’s intervention in Saudi case involving Tamil youth
A Sri Lankan lawmaker has requested that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake ask Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the case of a Sri Lankan national sentenced in Saudi Arabia. The individual, Anojan Sivarasa, faces legal action over a social media post, and supporters hope Modi's diplomatic ties with Saudi leadership can secure a humanitarian resolution.
Why it matters
The case illustrates the use of high-level regional diplomacy to resolve individual legal crises involving migrant workers in the Middle East.
A Sri Lankan opposition lawmaker on Saturday (September 19, 2026) urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to seek Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the case of a minority Tamil youth facing judicial proceedings in Saudi Arabia.
The appeal concerns Anojan Sivarasa, a Sri Lankan national, whose family has claimed that he was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia over a social media post allegedly amounting to blasphemy.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry has, however, not confirmed that Sivarasa has been sentenced to death.
“I urge President @anuradisanayake to bring #Anojan_Sivarasa’s desperate plight to the urgent attention of your friend, recipient of ‘SriLanka Rathna’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Tamil Progressive Alliance leader Mano Ganesan said in a post on X.
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