Govt served legal notice seeking details on two Bangladeshis executed in Saudi Arabia

A legal notice has been sent to the government seeking the disclosure of full details about two Bangladeshis recently executed in Saudi Arabia and the preservation of relevant documents.

Supreme Court lawyer Tasmia Nuhia Ahmed sent the notice by registered post on Sunday to the foreign secretary, the secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the director general of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board.

The recipients have been asked to provide preliminary responses on these matters within 24 hours of receiving the notice.

The notice warned that failure to take appropriate measures could lead to a writ petition before the High Court under Article 102 of the Constitution and other necessary legal action.

The notice also sought information on measures taken to protect other Bangladeshis detained abroad and at risk of facing the death penalty.

It sought details of the information and documents obtained regarding the executions, the reasons for any information that remained unavailable, and whether there was a timeline for completing the outstanding work.

The notice specifically asked what measures had been taken to preserve the relevant documents.

Saudi media reported that the two Bangladeshis were executed on October 14 after being convicted of committing “indecent acts” inside a mosque in Mecca.

Quoting the Saudi Interior Ministry, Gulf News reported that the sentences were imposed because of the seriousness of the offence, the violation of the mosque’s sanctity and the circumstances in which the acts were committed.

Saudi authorities identified the two nationals as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar.

On October 19, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir described the executions as “very disappointing”, saying Dhaka had sought an explanation from Riyadh over a possible lapse in information-sharing and communication between the two countries.

“We have sought an explanation from our friendly bilateral partner to look into the matter and know why the gap in information sharing and exchanges happened here. We are in discussions,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.