Saudi Arabia executions: Bangladesh demands details after two citizens put to death

Bangladesh has formally demanded an explanation from Saudi Arabia following the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in the Makkah region without prior official notification to authorities in Dhaka.

In a diplomatic letter sent on 19 October to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs branch in Makkah, the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah set out six direct questions about the judicial proceedings and capital punishment of the pair. Bangladeshi officials confirmed they were given no prior warning of the executions, which took place on 14 October.

Dhaka is asking Saudi authorities for certified copies of the court judgments, exact arrest dates, details of the alleged offences, and confirmation of whether the death sentences were carried out by beheading or another method. The note also asks where the bodies are being held, whether they will be repatriated or have already been buried, and if the accused had access to legal representation during investigation and trial.

Key details of the executed citizens

According to a confidential consular memo, the two citizens were Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and Sweety Akhtar, who had been in Saudi custody since August 2023. A prisoner list provided by Saudi officials in September listed Nazrul under cybercrime allegations and Sweety under an adultery charge. However, public statements issued by the Saudi Interior Ministry stated the pair were executed after being convicted of committing an "indecent act" inside a mosque in Makkah. Dhaka is seeking clarification on the discrepancy between the initial detention records and the public justification.

The consulate noted it had no record of any prior instance where a Bangladeshi citizen was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for an offence under cybercrime laws or for adultery. It remains unclear whether either defendant had a lawyer or court interpreter. Neither family had contacted the consulate to request legal assistance before the sentences were carried out.

Bangladesh's Consul General in Jeddah raised the matter directly with a senior Saudi foreign ministry official, while government officials in Dhaka approached the Saudi ambassador. Beyond these two cases, Dhaka has also requested information regarding 20 other Bangladeshi nationals listed as convicted in Saudi custody whose specific sentences have not been disclosed.