Two Bangladeshi workers executed in Saudi Arabia. Where was due process?

On October 14, 2026, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, two Bangladeshi migrant workers, a man and a woman, were executed for what Saudi authorities described as “indecent acts” inside a mosque.

Albert Camus, the French-Algerian writer and philosopher, called capital punishment “the most premeditated of murders” in Reflections on the Guillotine, his 1957 essay opposing the death penalty. The Saudi authorities’ premeditation was compounded by secrecy toward the workers’ own government.

According to Bangladesh’s consulate in Jeddah, Saudi officials provided no advance warning of the executions and issued no formal notification afterward. Bangladeshi diplomats reportedly learned of the executions through media reports.

The two people executed were Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and a woman identified by Saudi authorities as Suety Akhter, who reportedly worked as cleaners in the kingdom. They were among the millions of Bangladeshis who live and work in Saudi Arabia, one of the largest destinations for Bangladeshi migrant workers.

A report by Reprieve and European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights says that between 2010 and 2021, at least 16 Bangladeshis were executed in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s leading executioners. Now there are two more.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior reportedly said a court convicted the two of violating the sanctity of a mosque in Islam’s holiest city. Judges sentenced them to death under ta’zir, a category of Islamic criminal law that permits judicial discretion in punishment, and Saudi authorities say they upheld the judgments.

The religious significance of the location may explain the gravity Saudi authorities attached to the allegations, but it cannot justify imposing capital punishment. Social media content claimed to show the incident near the Holy Kaaba, the cube-shaped building at the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca that Muslims worldwide face when they pray.

Fact-checkers found that a viral photo shared as evidence showed an unrelated couple, not the executed workers. Saudi authorities have not said what the act was or where it took place.

Questions also surround the legal proceedings. A consular list reportedly revealed discrepancies in the charges against the two workers. According to the list, Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir was detained in August 2023 on allegations of information technology-related offenses, while Suety Akhter was detained a day later on an adultery charge.

Neither charge mentioned an indecent act at a mosque or linked the two cases at the time of arrest. The list reportedly made no mention of any sentences imposed on either individual.

These concerns point to broader risks for migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. They contribute to the kingdom’s development and economy, and they send billions of dollars in remittances to Bangladesh each year.

Dhaka says it has asked Riyadh for an explanation. It should go further and demand the charges, judgments, trial records, details of legal representation and interpreters, and a full account of consular access. Under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which binds both countries, Saudi officials must tell detained foreigners they may seek consular assistance and, if asked, notify the consulate without delay.

Dhaka should establish whether Saudi officials informed Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and Suety Akhter of those rights, whether either requested consular help, and how the authorities responded.

Bangladesh also needs to confront its own record. While Dhaka has reason to demand accountability and transparency from Saudi Arabia, Bangladeshi law continues to permit the death penalty for a range of offenses.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government should take steps toward abolition, beginning with an immediate moratorium on executions and legislative reforms to remove capital punishment from its laws. Bangladesh cannot credibly advocate for the lives of its citizens facing execution abroad without addressing the death penalty within its own borders.

The right to life is a fundamental human right protected under international human rights law. The executions of Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and Suety Akhter underscore the need to end capital punishment, not only in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, but worldwide. As Camus wrote, “There will be no lasting peace either in the heart of individuals or in social customs until death is outlawed.”

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John Quinley is a director at Fortify Rights, a human rights organization. Follow him on X: @john_hq3.