Sri Lanka gets former Maldives President Nasheed’s support to save Anojan

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has pledged his full support for efforts to save the life of Sri Lankan Anojan Sivarasa, who has reportedly been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia over a social media post.

President’s Counsel Faiszer Musthapha and President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma met Nasheed in the Maldives on Wednesday as an initial step in their diplomatic mission on behalf of Sivarasa.

According to the statement, Nasheed acknowledged the seriousness of Sivarasa’s remarks to the Muslim community but said he would support efforts to save the young man’s life on humanitarian grounds.

The Sri Lankan government decided to send Musthapha and Kumarapperuma as special diplomatic envoys to Saudi Arabia, a move announced in Parliament by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

The statement said the two lawyers are undertaking the mission following interventions by the President and Foreign Minister and will use their own funds rather than government money for the trip.

Kumarapperuma said the meeting with Nasheed was successful and that they were preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days. (Newswire)