Bangladesh has requested the Saudi court verdict in the case of two executed citizens and an explanation for why its diplomats received no advance notice, putting consular communication between the countries under scrutiny.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said a court sentenced a Bangladeshi man and woman to death for conduct the ministry described as an indecent act inside a mosque. They were executed in the Makkah region on Oct. 14 after the relevant authority upheld the sentences and a royal order authorized them. The ministry gave no further details of the act or the mosque.
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 informed before the executions. She said Dhaka had sought information about the offenses and the court proceedings. On Oct. 19, Islam said the government had requested a copy of the verdict and was awaiting a response.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said timely notice of criminal cases against Bangladeshis overseas would allow the country to offer consular assistance. He also said Dhaka wanted an explanation for the lack of notice.
A Bangladeshi foreign ministry secretary raised the case with Saudi Ambassador Dr Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah on Oct. 18, a senior ministry official told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. The official said the ambassador was not summoned.
Islam said more than 4 million Bangladeshis work in Saudi Arabia. She cited the jobs the kingdom provides and the money those workers send home in explaining its importance to Bangladesh.
The Daily Star reported that the family of a man it identified as Nazrul Islam wants his body returned to Bangladesh and the circumstances of his death investigated.
Islam said Bangladesh would decide its next steps after Saudi Arabia supplies the verdict.
