Sri Lanka's ambassador to Saudi Arabia has met Sivarasa Anojan, the Eelam Tamil migrant worker on death row in Dammam prison, after embassy officials were earlier refused access to him following his family's claims that he had been attacked by another inmate.
The ambassador, O. L. Ameer Ajwad, visited Dammam Central Prison on 8 October, the Sri Lankan embassy in Riyadh said . He listened to Anojan's concerns, gave him his contact details for direct communication and reaffirmed the embassy's commitment to providing consular and legal assistance.
Ajwad said after the visit that Anojan was in good health and that Saudi prison authorities were attending to his welfare. He also met the prison director and the prison doctor, thanking them for facilitating the visit.
The embassy said it was assisting Anojan with his appeal to the Saudi Supreme Court, which must be filed by 17 October, as efforts continue to seek clemency.
The visit follows days of concern over Anojan's safety. His family said he had been stabbed in the head by a fellow inmate, while Saudi prison authorities told Sri Lankan diplomats he had suffered only fingernail scratches in a fight with a cellmate. Embassy officials who visited the prison on 6 October were not allowed to see him and relied entirely on the Saudi account.
A protest outside the Nallai Atheenam in Nallur calling for Anojan's release in September
Anojan, from Narpittimunai in Kalmunai, was sentenced to death over a deleted Facebook comment deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad, after Saudi prosecutors appealed against his original five-year sentence. His case has prompted a campaign across the North-East for his release.
Read our explainer on the case here .
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