Saudi Arabia Executes Two Bangladeshi Nationals in Mecca; Bangladesh Says It Was Not Informed

By UrduPro News Desk

Tension is rising after Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals in Mecca without informing Dhaka in advance, Dhaka has said. Two Bangladeshi citizens were put to death in the holy city on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, after being convicted of alleged “indecent acts” inside a mosque, according to a statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry published via the Saudi Press Agency. Bangladesh says its consulate in Jeddah received no prior notification of the arrests, the trial or the executions, and is now demanding answers from Riyadh.

What the Saudi Interior Ministry announced

The ministry’s statement confirmed the executions but revealed little else about how Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals convicted of “indecent acts” inside a mosque. It did not specify the nature of the alleged acts, name the mosque, or detail the judicial proceedings. The only explanation offered was that the sentences were imposed because of the “gravity and seriousness of their actions in violating the sanctity of both time and place,” according to a report in the North East Herald.

The two were convicted under ta’zir, the discretionary punishment under Islamic law, and the ta’zir death sentence was upheld by the kingdom’s highest court before a royal decree authorised the executions. Reporting on Mecca mosque executions relies almost entirely on brief official statements such as this one, which typically disclose convictions and sentences but not the evidence behind them.

Dhaka says it was kept in the dark

For Dhaka, the complaint is procedural as much as humanitarian: whenever Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals, Bangladeshi diplomats expect consular access and advance notice — and they say neither happened here. Dhaka’s position is that no country should learn that Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals only after the fact. The Consulate General in Jeddah received no prior notification of the arrests, the trial or the executions, according to Bangladeshi officials.

The two did appear on a prisoner list Saudi Arabia shared with Bangladesh, officials said, but nothing on it indicated they were on death row or facing imminent execution. Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir told reporters on Monday, 19 October: “We have sought an explanation from our friendly bilateral partner to look into the matter and know why the gap in information sharing and exchanges happened here. We are in discussions.”

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said a diplomatic note had been handed to the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka. Bangladesh is waiting for an official response before deciding its next steps, including repatriation of the bodies. As Bangladesh seeks explanation Saudi Arabia has yet to provide, diplomats in Dhaka say all options remain open, UPI reported via Gephardt Daily.

The two people at the centre of the case

The two people at the centre of the case in which Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals have been identified by Bangladeshi media as Nazerul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, according to Prothom Alo English. It has not been independently established whether the two were married to each other. Out of respect for the individuals and their families, this article will not repeat unverified claims about them.

The news has caused concern in Bangladesh. More than three million Bangladeshis live and work in Saudi Arabia, many in low-wage jobs, and every case in which Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals is followed closely back home. For the families of migrant workers, the case has raised painful questions about consular protection: if a government is not told its citizens are on death row, it cannot intervene, seek clemency or even prepare the family.

Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty

The case has become one of the most closely watched Bangladesh Saudi Arabia executions in recent years, drawing fresh attention to the kingdom’s extensive use of capital punishment. According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia executed 356 people in 2025, behind only China and Iran. Saudi authorities say more than 170 executions have already been carried out so far in 2026.

The Amnesty figures mean that Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals within one of the world’s most active death-penalty systems. Rights organisations have repeatedly urged Riyadh to increase transparency around capital cases involving foreign nationals, arguing that brief ministry statements leave too many questions unanswered.

A warning about viral misinformation

As the story has spread online, a photograph claimed to show the executed pair has gone viral. A fact-check by The Quint found that the image is old and unrelated, and does not show the two people who were executed. Do not share the photograph or unverified claims circulating with it.

Some social media posts have carried lurid, unconfirmed allegations about the pair. Those claims are unverified, have not been stated by any official source, and are excluded from this report entirely. Until Riyadh responds, the question of why Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi nationals without prior consular notification will keep straining one of Bangladesh’s most important bilateral relationships — and the families at the heart of it deserve facts, not rumours.

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Sources: North East Herald; Gephardt Daily (UPI); Saudi Press Agency via Saudi Interior Ministry statement; Prothom Alo English; The Quint fact-check; Amnesty International.