Bangladesh furious as Saudi prison list omitted death sentences for 2 citizens

Saudi Arabia executed Bangladeshi citizens Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter separately in the Mecca region on October 14. Bangladesh says it was not informed before the executions. The government considers that a serious failure in consular communication.

Saudi authorities had sent Dhaka a list on September 30. The list named Nazrul and Sweety and described the alleged offences, but it did not state that they had received death sentences. Bangladesh says earlier notice could have allowed its diplomatic mission to explore possible intervention.

Dhaka is now seeking the verdicts, details of the court proceedings and confirmation that both people could defend themselves. Bangladeshi officials raised the matter with Saudi authorities on several occasions, but said the explanation for the missing information was unsatisfactory. The case has strained an otherwise close relationship.

The number was two: Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter. Saudi Arabia said both were convicted over what it described as immoral acts inside a mosque in Mecca. Their executions took place separately in the Mecca region on October 14.

Saudi authorities had sent Bangladesh a list of convicted nationals on September 30. The list included Nazrul’s and Sweety’s names and described the offences they were accused of committing. However, it did not mention that either person had received a death sentence.

That omission is central to Bangladesh’s anger. Dhaka says timely information might have allowed its diplomatic mission to seek intervention or provide consular assistance. Saudi officials reportedly described the judicial process, but could not satisfactorily explain why the sentences were absent from the list. Bangladesh is still awaiting the verdicts and fuller case details.

Ta’zir is a category of punishment under Islamic law in which the specific penalty is left to judicial discretion. In this case, Saudi Arabia said the courts used ta’zir to impose death sentences on Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior said the two were convicted of what it described as immoral acts inside a mosque in Mecca. It cited the seriousness of the alleged offence, the violation of the mosque’s sanctity and the circumstances in which the acts occurred.

Saudi authorities said the verdicts were upheld by the relevant judicial authority, and a royal order authorised the executions. Bangladesh is seeking copies of the verdicts and details of the proceedings. The article does not explain the wider legal rules governing ta’zir or how the courts selected the punishment in these specific cases.

Advance notification matters because a government can act before a foreign court’s sentence is carried out. Bangladesh says its diplomatic mission could have explored possible intervention if it had known about the death sentences earlier.

That intervention might have included seeking the verdicts, asking about the judicial process and checking whether the defendants had an opportunity to defend themselves. Bangladesh also expects access to information when its citizens are detained or face criminal proceedings abroad, so its missions can provide consular assistance.

The article does not say that earlier notice would have changed the final outcome. It shows instead that notice could have created time for diplomatic communication and legal questions. Bangladesh is now requesting the missing documents and explanations after the executions, when options are more limited and the family is seeking Nazrul Islam’s body.

Saudi Arabia said the cases passed through several judicial stages before the executions. According to officials, a lower court sentenced Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter to death under ta’zir.

During the Monday meeting in Jeddah, Saudi officials reportedly said an appellate panel made up of 13 judges upheld the verdicts. Saudi Arabia also said the verdicts were confirmed by the relevant judicial authority. Finally, a royal order authorised implementation of the sentences.

The executions were carried out separately in the Mecca region on October 14. Bangladesh is asking for copies of the verdicts and a detailed account of the proceedings, including whether the two people were allowed to defend themselves. The government says the September 30 list did not disclose the death sentences, despite the reported judicial steps, and wants Saudi Arabia to explain that omission.

Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission could have acted before the sentences were carried out. The government specifically said timely information might have allowed it to explore possible intervention in the cases.

Its officials could have requested copies of the verdicts and details of the judicial proceedings. They could also have asked whether Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter had been allowed to defend themselves. Bangladesh expects its missions to provide consular assistance when citizens are detained or face criminal proceedings abroad.

The article does not identify a particular legal appeal or say that intervention would have stopped the executions. It does show that advance notice would have created an opportunity for diplomatic contact with Saudi authorities. Instead, Bangladesh learned of the executions after they occurred and is now seeking explanations, documents and information about the cases.

Consular notification and assistance mean that authorities inform a detained foreign citizen’s country and allow its consular officials to communicate, seek case information and offer appropriate help. These steps matter because the person may face an unfamiliar language, legal system or serious punishment.

In this case, Bangladesh says it should have been told when Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter faced criminal proceedings and death sentences. Earlier notice could have allowed its mission to request verdicts, ask about their defence rights and explore possible intervention. Saudi Arabia did not provide that information before the executions.

The article states that Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia are signatories to the Geneva Conventions and links the incident to an expected duty of information-sharing. It does not detail the conventions’ consular rules. In established international practice, consular notification and access are more specifically associated with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.