United News of Bangladesh

The two Bangladeshi nationals, who were recently executed in Saudi Arabia, had been detained in the country since August 2023 on separate charges, according to a confidential document from the Labour Welfare Wing of the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah. The two were identified as Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and Sweety Akter. The document, sent to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment on October 18, said there was no previous record of any Bangladeshi national being executed in Saudi Arabia on charges related to information technology offences or adultery. Besides, the Saudi authorities did not inform the Bangladesh Embassy or the consulate before the executions, nor did they formally notify them afterwards about the executions, it said. The information about the execution emerged from Saudi media reports citing a statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Interior on October 14. According to the Saudi ministry’s statement, as reported in local media, the executions took place in the Makkah region. They were accused of committing “indecent acts” inside a mosque in the holy city of Makkah. The consulate said Saudi authorities did not provide detailed information about the cases. The document said the consulate had earlier sought information from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Bangladeshi nationals detained for various offences in prisons across western Saudi Arabia. A list received on September 30 included the names of Nazrul and Sweety but did not specify their sentences. Both were reportedly employed as cleaners at an establishment called Al-Majal. According to the list, Nazrul was detained on August 1, 2023, on charges related to information technology offences, while Sweety was detained on August 2 on an “adultery charge”. Nazrul had been held at the Jeddah Correctional Facility, while Sweety was held at the Jeddah Women’s Prison. The consulate said the list contained no information about the sentences handed down to either of them. It also noted that videos of unrelated or past incidents were being circulated on social media in connection with the executions. According to the document, 306 Bangladeshi nationals were being held in prisons across western Saudi Arabia in connection with various morality-related cases. Of them, 147 were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one month to 15 years. The consulate said it had received no requests for legal assistance or other communication from the families of the two executed individuals. Saudi authorities had also not informed the consulate of their sentences or executions. The consulate has sent a diplomatic note to the Makkah branch of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking copies of the verdicts and detailed information about the cases. A comprehensive report will be submitted after the documents are received, according to the document.