Bangladesh has said it only learned that two of its citizens had been executed in the holy city of Mecca after the execution had already taken place, local media have reported.
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said a Bangladeshi man and woman were executed last Wednesday after being convicted of committing an “indecent act” inside a mosque. The ministry did not say what the act involved.
Bangladesh says it has contacted the Saudi government to request more details about the case.
Saudi ministry’s account of the sentences
According to the interior ministry, the pair were convicted and sentenced to death under “tazir”, a term in Islamic law for punishments left to the discretion of the judge. The ministry said the sentences reflected how grave the offence was and that the two had violated the “sanctity” of the mosque.
Dhaka seeks details and weighs repatriation of bodies
State minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam said the government had reached out to Riyadh about the offences and the legal proceedings. She said the government would consider next steps, including the repatriation of the bodies, once it received information from Saudi authorities.
Islam added that the government was committed to safeguarding the welfare and interests of Bangladeshis abroad. Media reports said the two had appeared on a list of prisoners that Saudi Arabia shared after a request from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, but the list did not show that they had been sentenced to death.
Public unease and Saudi executions of foreigners
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia share close religious ties and strong economic links. More than three million Bangladeshis live and work in the kingdom, mostly in low-paying jobs, and the news has caused concern across the country.
Foreign nationals are not new to Saudi executions. According to Amnesty International, the country has executed around 100 people this year, many of them foreigners convicted of drug offences. In 2011, eight Bangladeshi men were publicly executed in Riyadh after being found guilty of killing an Egyptian.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia overturned a death sentence handed to a Sri Lankan man who had been convicted of blasphemy over a comment he made on Facebook. The decision followed a public outcry in Sri Lanka and diplomatic efforts to seek clemency for him.
