Saudi Arabia did not inform Bangladesh before executing two nationals: Source

A “confidential” letter sent by the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment says Saudi authorities did not inform the consulate about two Bangladeshi nationals about facing executions.

At the request of the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi authorities provided a list of Bangladeshi nationals held in Saudi prisons as of September 30 this year.

The list showed that around 5,000 Bangladeshis were in Saudi jails, along with details of the allegations against them and the punishments imposed.

Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, who were executed on October 14 after being convicted of committing an act described as “adultery” inside a mosque in Makkah, also were in the list.

However, Saudi authorities did not specify the punishments imposed on them.

Daily Waadaa has obtained a copy of the letter sent by the Bangladesh Consulate on October 18, to the ministry detailing the events leading up to the executions.

According to a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi authorities appeared to have deliberately withheld details of the punishments imposed on Nazrul and Siti, who had been employed by Al Majal Company.

The executions raised questions about the role of Bangladeshi authorities and whether the country’s diplomatic missions had been informed about the cases.

The consulate’s letter said neither Saudi authorities nor the families of the two Bangladeshis had contacted Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions regarding the executions.

Saudi authorities took the case ‘seriously’

According to information provided by Saudi authorities, the two were arrested in August 2023 after a video allegedly showed them engaging in an act described as “adultery” inside a holy site. They were subsequently held in separate jails in Jeddah.

The foreign ministry source told Waadaa that the two were executed by firing squad rather than by decapitation.

According to the source, Saudi authorities took the case seriously because the incident occurred at one of Islam’s holiest sites in May 2023. The two were not married to each other.

The source said a trial court sentenced both to death in 2024. The person who recorded the video was also subsequently sentenced.

All 13 members of the appellate panel upheld the trial court’s verdict, the source said.

The consulate letter also noted that Bangladeshis had not previously been executed in Saudi Arabia in cases involving adultery.

Of the other Bangladeshis on the list of around 5,000 prisoners, at least two had also been accused of adultery. One received a six-month prison sentence and the other a five-year term, it said.

What Saudi law says

Saudi Arabia prescribes different punishments for sexual offences depending on the circumstances and the applicable legal provisions.

Under traditional interpretations of Islamic law applied in the kingdom, adultery involving married individuals can carry the death penalty by stoning, while unmarried individuals may face 100 lashes and, under some interpretations, banishment.

Other offences may be prosecuted under 'tazir', a category of punishment left to judicial discretion. Such cases can include conduct deemed sexually immoral or grossly indecent, particularly when committed in a sacred place, such as a mosque in Makkah.

Saudi Arabia, which hosts more than four million Bangladeshi expatriate workers, remains the only country currently recruiting Bangladeshi workers. Around 300,000 Bangladeshis have travelled to the kingdom for work this year alone, making their welfare and legal protection a major concern for Dhaka.

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