Six days after Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshis over what it described as an “immoral act” inside a mosque in Mecca, new information has raised questions about the charges, judicial proceedings and why Bangladesh was not informed of their death sentences.
A confidential consular memorandum and prisoner records reportedly show that the two were detained in August 2023 under different allegations, cybercrime in one case and adultery in the other.
Neither entry mentioned a death sentence, although Saudi authorities subsequently announced that both had been executed on October 14.
Bangladesh has now sought the court judgments, details of the proceedings and clarification of whether the defendants had an opportunity to defend themselves.
Meanwhile, the families say they were unaware of any impending executions and are demanding answers.
What did Saudi Arabia announce?
On October 14, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the executions of two people it identified as Bangladeshi nationals Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar.
According to the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the two had been convicted of committing an “immoral act” inside a mosque in Mecca.
The ministry said security authorities arrested them, investigated the allegations and referred the case to a court.
The court sentenced them to death under “ta'zir,” a category of discretionary punishment under Islamic law, citing the seriousness of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of the place and time.
The ministry said the verdict became final after judicial approval and a royal order authorised its implementation.
However, the announcement did not identify the mosque, disclose the date of the alleged incident or provide the evidence presented at trial.
Why have the charges raised questions?
The most significant new development emerged from documents obtained and information reported by two national newspapers on Tuesday.
According to a confidential memorandum dated October 18 from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, a Saudi prisoner list received on September 30 contained both names but recorded different offences.
Nazrul Islam, detained on August 1, 2023, was listed under Saudi Arabia's cybercrime law.
Siti Akhtar, detained the following day, was listed in connection with adultery.
The documents identified Nazrul as being held at Jeddah Correctional Facility and Siti at Jeddah Women's Prison.
Both reportedly worked as cleaners for Al Majal Company.
Crucially, the prisoner list did not disclose that either had been sentenced to death.
The consular memorandum also did not explain how the separate offences recorded in the list related to the mosque incident described in Saudi Arabia's execution announcement.
These discrepancies do not establish that the convictions were unlawful.
However, they leave the precise charges, evidence and legal basis for the executions unclear.
Did Bangladesh know they were in prison?
The latest information establishes an important distinction.
Saudi Arabia had provided Bangladesh with a prisoner list containing the two names, but the list did not mention their death sentences.
Bangladeshi officials say the mission was not notified of the sentences or the executions in advance.
The consulate's memorandum also states that it had received no requests for legal assistance from either prisoner or their families.
Bangladesh's Consul General Md Sakhawat Hossain met Saudi foreign ministry official Farid bin Saad Al Shehri in Jeddah on Monday.
He asked why the death sentences had been omitted from the prisoner list.
Bangladesh also sent another diplomatic note seeking the judgments, details of the proceedings and information about the defendants' opportunities to defend themselves.
Saudi officials reportedly said the cases had passed through the courts and that a 13-judge appellate panel had upheld the death sentences.
However, Bangladeshi officials said they had not received a satisfactory explanation for the omission of the sentences from the prisoner records.
What has Dhaka done?
The Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah first sought information through a diplomatic note on October 15, a day after the executions.
On October 18, Bangladesh raised the matter with Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah in Dhaka and provided a copy of the earlier communication.
The following day, officials pursued the issue in Jeddah.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir described the executions as deeply disappointing and acknowledged a lapse in information-sharing.
Bangladesh has also raised questions about consular access and the handling of the judicial proceedings.
However, the government has not formally established that Saudi Arabia violated international law.
Officials say they need the judgments and other documents before drawing conclusions.
Who were the two Bangladeshis?
Nazrul Islam came from Brahmanbaria and travelled to Saudi Arabia in November 2022 to work as a cleaner.
His family says he was arrested several months later and remained imprisoned for more than three years.
His mother, Rahima Begum, said he occasionally called from prison. Their last conversation reportedly took place on October 11, three days before his execution.
His father, Abdul Basir, said the family had borrowed heavily to finance Nazrul's migration.
The family disputes the allegations and wants his body returned to Bangladesh.
Siti Akhtar came from Mirzapur in Tangail. Her family says she travelled to Saudi Arabia for employment after borrowing Tk1.5 lakh.
Her father, Fazl Mia, said she had told the family that she was imprisoned following a workplace dispute.
He said she had recently spoken about the possibility of returning home within months, leaving the family bewildered by reports of her execution.
Neither family's account independently establishes what happened in the Saudi criminal proceedings.
Were they husband and wife?
No evidence has emerged supporting social media claims that the two were married or had travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
Their families told Bangladeshi journalists that they had travelled separately for employment.
Nazrul's father said his son was unmarried.
Siti's family also described her previous marriages and her decision to seek work overseas.
The claim that they were a married couple visiting Mecca for religious purposes is therefore unsupported.
What about the viral execution videos?
Several fact-checking teams found that a graphic video circulating as footage of the two Bangladeshis' executions actually showed an unrelated execution in Saudi Arabia in 2015.
Another video claiming to show their bodies arriving in Bangladesh was also found to be unrelated.
Airport welfare officials confirmed on Tuesday that the bodies had not arrived.
The Saudi announcement confirmed the executions but did not specify their method.
What remains unanswered?
Several crucial questions remain unresolved.
What precise offences were established against each defendant? Why did the prisoner list record different charges from the public announcement?
When were the death sentences imposed? Did the defendants receive legal representation and interpretation assistance?
Why were Bangladesh's diplomatic missions not informed of the sentences?
It also remains unclear when the families will receive official documentation and whether the bodies can be repatriated.
The Saudi court judgments could answer some of these questions.
