Bangladesh seeks answers after Saudi Arabia executes two citizens in Mecca
Bangladesh says it received no advance notice of the executions and has asked Saudi Arabia for details of the offences and legal proceedings.
Bangladesh is seeking answers from Saudi Arabia after a Bangladeshi man and woman were executed in Mecca on 14 October 2026. Bangladeshi authorities say they received no advance notice and have asked about the offences and legal proceedings, leaving the circumstances of the case unclear for their government and the pair’s families.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said the two had been convicted over an ‘indecent act’ inside a mosque. It did not specify what they had done. The ministry cited the seriousness of the offence and a violation of the mosque’s sanctity in explaining the sentences, according to the BBC. The Associated Press also reported that the ministry referred to the sanctity of the time and place without elaborating.
Bangladesh asks about the legal proceedings
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh had contacted Saudi Arabia for information about the offences and the proceedings, the BBC reported. She said the government would consider further steps, including whether to repatriate the bodies, once it had received details. Bangladesh’s lack of notice before the executions is also reported by the Associated Press.
A prisoner list Saudi Arabia had shared after a request from Bangladesh’s consulate general in Jeddah included the two citizens but did not indicate that they had been sentenced to death, the BBC reported, citing The Daily Star. That omission helps explain why Bangladesh is asking how information about the case was communicated before the sentences were carried out.
Bangladesh also summoned Saudi Ambassador Abdullah bin Zafer H Bin Abiyah on Sunday to seek clarification, according to an ANI report republished by Hindustan Times. The report said Bangladeshi and Saudi officials were discussing the gap in communication. It identified one of the people executed as Nazrul Islam; his family has asked Bangladesh to investigate the circumstances of his execution and bring his body home.
Nazrul’s family said he had spent about three years and three months in detention before his execution, according to ANI. The report said the specific charges, whether he had legal assistance and whether he had an opportunity to defend himself could not be independently verified. Bangladesh’s request for details of the proceedings may clarify those questions, but Saudi authorities have yet to specify the conduct behind the convictions.
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Sources and context
- Bangladesh says it was not informed of its citizens' execution by Saudi ArabiaBBC News
- Saudi Arabia executes 2 Bangladeshis over ‘indecent acts’ in a Mecca mosqueAssociated Press, republished by South China Morning Post
- Bangladesh seeks answers after 2 nationals executed in Saudi Arabia for ‘indecent acts' near mosqueANI, republished by Hindustan Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.