Bangladesh is seeking Saudi court records after it said two citizens were executed without advance diplomatic notice, raising questions about consular communication with its largest source of worker remittances.
Saudi Arabia accounted for 16.1% of Bangladesh’s recorded worker remittances from July 2025 through April 2026, the largest share for any country, Bangladesh Bank data show. That reporting period ended before the executions and does not show whether the dispute has affected remittance flows.
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said it executed a Bangladeshi man and woman in the Mecca region on Oct. 14 after a court convicted them, their death sentences became final and a royal order authorized the executions. The ministry described the offense as indecent conduct inside a mosque. Its announcement did not specify the conduct or include the court rulings.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Oct. 17 that neither Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry nor its mission in Saudi Arabia had been told before the executions. She said Dhaka sought details of the alleged offenses and proceedings, as well as an explanation for the lack of notice. On Oct. 19, Islam said Bangladesh had requested the court verdicts.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Saudi law applied to people in the kingdom. He said earlier alerts about criminal cases involving Bangladeshis abroad would give Dhaka a chance to provide consular assistance. Bangladesh also wanted to know why its diplomats had not been notified, he said.
A Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry secretary discussed the case with Saudi Ambassador Dr Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah on Oct. 18. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported, citing a ministry official, that the ambassador was not summoned. The official said both sides expressed confidence that the case would not affect their close relations.
Reuters reported, citing Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim, that Saudi Arabia had not answered Dhaka’s questions as of Oct. 21. Islam said Bangladesh would decide its next steps after receiving the verdict.
