“On 13 October 2026, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia set aside the judgment imposing the death penalty on Anojan Sivarasa.
This follows sustained diplomatic and legal efforts by the Government of Sri Lanka,” Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemeachandra announced in a social media post, terming the development “a major relief” for the 24-year-old engineer hailing from the island’s eastern Ampara district.
Amid sporadic calls to abolish the death penalty, Sri Lanka, too retains capital punishment in the law, although the country has not executed anyone in five decades.
Who was on the team sent to Riyadh by the Sri Lankan government, Anojan’s death penalty was set aside by the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia and referred to the lower court that originally heard the case, according to senior lawyer and President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma. “The case is expected to be heard within two weeks, and a fresh sentence is likely,” he told The Hindu on Wednesday (October 14, 2026).
