Asiaupdated 1h ago3 min read
Saudi Arabia Executes Two Bangladeshis in Mecca After Court Confirms Death Sentences
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Saudi Arabia executed Bangladeshi man and woman for indecent acts in a Mecca mosque. Bangladesh said it was not informed beforehand about the executions.
10 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Sri Lanka Suffers Islandwide Power Outage After Upper Kotmale Power Station Breakdown →
Mecca executions spark anger
Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshis in Mecca after the Saudi Interior Ministry said a highest court confirmed death sentences and a royal decree authorized the executions for “indecent acts” inside a mosque. Bangladesh said it was not informed before the sentences were carried out and that it sought detailed information from Saudi Arabia, with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam saying her ministry sent a letter requesting “detailed information.” Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said the executions were carried out due to the “gravity and seriousness of their actions in violating the sanctity of both time and place,” and the ministry gave no further details.
“Saudi Arabia says it has executed two Bangladeshi nationals for ‘indecent acts’ inside a mosque in Mecca.”
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry official Shama Obaed said Bangladesh would consider next steps, including repatriation of the bodies, while the BBC said the two Muslim countries share close ties due to religious affinity and strong economic ties. The BBC also said the Saudi interior ministry convicted the man and woman under “tazir,” describing it as punishments left to the discretion of the judge.
Dhaka presses Riyadh
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought an explanation from the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka over the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in Mecca, and the ministry said it also asked why Bangladesh was not informed before the executions.
Mohammad Nazrul Islam, secretary for bilateral affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met Saudi Ambassador Abdullah ibn Dhafer ibn Ubayya at the state guesthouse Padma, and the meeting began at 3:30 pm and lasted about half an hour.
Bangladesh’s officials said a diplomatic note was handed to the ambassador during the meeting seeking information about the two Bangladeshis executed, and the officials said the Saudi ambassador would seek details from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh and then inform Bangladesh.
Shama Obaed Islam told reporters, “We have not yet received detailed official information from the Saudi government. We will have to wait a little longer.”
The Daily Star also said Bangladesh learned about the executions on October 14, the day the two were executed, and it said the foreign ministry and Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia had not been informed beforehand.
What happens next
Bangladesh’s state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam said the incident should serve as a lesson, and she said Bangladesh needed a full account from Saudi authorities before commenting further. Shama Obaed Islam told the Daily Star that her mission was not informed of when or how the incident occurred, and she said she did not wish to comment on why the mission was not notified as Saudi Arabia had not provided complete details. Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia were processing the necessary formalities on repatriation of the bodies, and Bangladesh would discuss next steps, including how and when to bring their bodies back, only after receiving a clear picture from Saudi authorities.
The BBC said the Saudi interior ministry statement did not specify the nature of the offending act, while it said the ministry said the severity of the offence and the violation of the “sanctity” of the mosque led to the death sentences. ThePrint reported that the Saudi Interior Ministry identified the two Bangladeshis as Nazerul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, and it said the ministry said a court found the charges proven and sentenced them to death citing the “gravity of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of the time and place.”