Names were on the prisoner list, sentences were not: Dhaka seeks Saudi explanation over two Bangladeshis' executions

The prisoner list sent by Saudi Arabia contained the names of two Bangladeshis and mentioned the offences against them — but it did not say what sentences had been imposed. Later, both were executed. Dhaka has now asked Saudi Arabia why the death-sentence information was never shared with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Consul General Md. Sakhawat Hossain raised the question on Monday in Jeddah in a meeting with Saudi Foreign Ministry Director General Farid bin Saad Al Seheri. According to several Foreign Ministry officials, the Saudi official could not give a satisfactory answer.

The same day, Bangladesh sent Saudi Arabia another diplomatic note seeking details of the two Bangladeshis' cases and judicial process. Sakhawat Hossain confirmed the meeting and the new note, but declined to disclose details of the discussion.

A senior ministry official said the new note asks for a detailed account of the cases, the various steps taken in the judicial process, and whether the two had any opportunity to defend themselves after being sentenced.

On October 14, the Saudi Press Agency, citing Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry, reported the execution of the two Bangladeshis. The next day, October 15, the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah sent a diplomatic note to the Saudi Foreign Ministry seeking details. On October 18, the note was handed again to the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka.

At Monday's meeting, the Saudi side said that after arrests in August 2023, a lower court first sentenced the two following due judicial process. Later, a panel of 13 judges in the appeals court upheld their death sentences. The executions were carried out in separate cells designated for women and men, in line with the verdict. Bangladesh requested details as quickly as possible at the meeting, which was held in a cordial atmosphere.

At that point the Consul General raised the inconsistency in the list. If the trial had been completed through due process, why was what sentence had been given to Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter left unstated in the list given to Bangladesh? The Saudi diplomat could give no satisfactory answer to that question.

The Consul General said that if the Jeddah mission had learned from the list that the two had been sentenced to death, it would have had an opportunity to take steps for their protection. That opportunity was lost because the information remained unstated — Dhaka's central objection.

Foreign Ministry sources say that on September 30 the Saudi Foreign Ministry sent a list of convicted persons to the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah. It contained the names of Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter, whose homes are in Brahmanbaria and Tangail respectively. Both went to Saudi Arabia in late 2022 and joined Al Majal company as cleaning workers.

According to documents, Nazrul Islam was detained on August 1, 2023, and Sweety Akter the next day, August 2. The September 30 list said Nazrul, held at Jeddah correctional facility, had been sentenced for a cybercrime — but did not state when or what the sentence was. Sweety's location was listed as Jeddah women's prison and the offence of adultery was mentioned, with no description of her sentence.

A message sent from Jeddah to Dhaka on October 18 said there is no precedent of a Bangladeshi citizen being executed in Saudi Arabia for cybercrime or adultery. In prisons in the country's western region, 306 Bangladeshis are detained in cases of moral misconduct; 147 of them have received sentences ranging from one month to a maximum of 15 years. In Makkah, three other Bangladeshis received six months to five years in prison for cybercrime.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir spoke to reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Monday afternoon. He said carrying out executions on allegations was disappointing for Bangladesh. In response to questions, he acknowledged there had been lapses in information exchange and diplomatic communication in this case, and said a detailed explanation and information have been sought from the Saudi authorities. Dhaka now awaits Riyadh's reply.