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Bangladesh has sought information on six specific issues regarding the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the government awaits an official response from Saudi authorities.
On October 19, the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah sent a diplomatic letter to the Makkah branch of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking clarification on the executions.
According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Consul General Md Sakhawat Hossain met Farid bin Saad Al-Seheri, director general of the Saudi Foreign Ministry in Jeddah, on October 19 and handed over the letter.
The six issues raised in the letter include the nature of the crimes committed by the two Bangladeshis, when and where the incidents occurred, and the dates of their arrests.
Bangladesh has also requested certified copies of the verdicts against the two nationals and clarification on how the death sentences were carried out, including whether they were publicly executed by beheading with a sword or through another method.
The letter further seeks information on where the bodies were kept after the executions and whether the remains will be sent to Bangladesh or have already been buried in Saudi Arabia.
The government has also asked whether lawyers were appointed to represent the two Bangladeshis during the investigation and trial and whether they themselves sought legal assistance.
The consulate has requested a prompt response to the questions, but Saudi authorities have yet to reply.
Sources said Saudi Arabia sent Bangladesh a list of around 2,500 prisoners on September 30. The list included 22 Bangladeshi nationals, including the two who were executed, but did not specify the details of their sentences.
Bangladesh has separately written to the Saudi authorities seeking information about the nature of the punishments and related details concerning the remaining 20 Bangladeshi nationals on the list.
The government is now waiting for an official response from Riyadh regarding both the executions and the other prisoners.
On October 14, Saudi authorities carried out the death sentences of Bangladeshi nationals Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Sweety Akhter in the Makkah region. Reports said the sentences were imposed under the court’s discretionary punishment system.
