By Hammad kahlun
SNN News Finland
Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals convicted of committing what the Kingdom’s Ministry of Interior described as a “sexual act” inside a mosque in the holy city of Mecca, the ministry said in a statement.
The case has drawn attention in Bangladesh, where the government says it learned of the executions only after they had been carried out.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the two were identified as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. Security authorities arrested the pair following the incident, and they were formally charged after an investigation, the statement said.
The ministry said the death sentence was imposed by a competent court, became final after being upheld by the relevant judicial authority, and was authorised by a royal order before being carried out.
The executions took place in the Mecca region. Spelling of the man’s given name varies between official and media accounts, appearing in some as Nazrul and in others as Nazerul; the ministry’s statement did not provide further biographical details such as ages or place of residence in Bangladesh.
What the ministry said
In its statement, the Interior Ministry said the judgement reflected the gravity of the offence and what it described as a violation of the sanctity of both the time and the place, and it reaffirmed the Saudi government’s commitment to maintaining security, upholding justice and enforcing Islamic law.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty under a strict reading of Islamic law. Executions are announced by the Interior Ministry after sentences have been upheld and a royal order issued.
The Kingdom has carried out executions in previous years for offences including murder, drug trafficking and, in some cases, sexual offences, though convictions of this kind inside the Grand Mosque complex are rare. The case comes as the Kingdom remains a central actor in regional security developments across the Middle East.
Bangladesh says it was not told in advance
Bangladesh’s consulate general in Jeddah said it did not receive advance notification of the executions. The mission said it has submitted a diplomatic note to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally requesting acknowledgement of the executions and detailed information about the two people concerned, including confirmation of their identities and nationality.
Dhaka has sought an official explanation from Riyadh over the case. A Saudi envoy met a senior official at Bangladesh’s foreign ministry in Dhaka to discuss the matter.
Bangladesh’s government has said it will wait for the Saudi response before releasing further details, and it expressed confidence that the case would not affect the two countries’ long-standing bilateral relationship.
Officials have not publicly confirmed whether consular access was requested before the executions, and it is not clear from the ministry’s statement when the original offence took place or how long the two spent in custody before sentence was carried out.
Why the case matters
Saudi Arabia hosts one of the world’s largest Bangladeshi expatriate communities, with more than two million Bangladeshi workers employed across the Kingdom in construction, domestic work, retail and services.
Remittances from the Gulf are a major source of foreign currency for Bangladesh, and any friction over the treatment of migrant workers is sensitive in Dhaka. Gulf states and the wider region have also featured in recent diplomatic and security developments that SNN News Finland has reported on.
Rights organisations have repeatedly criticised Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty and the limited transparency around capital cases involving foreign nationals. Saudi officials reject those criticisms, saying the judicial process follows the Kingdom’s laws and that the death penalty is reserved for the most serious crimes.
Key facts
- Who: Two Bangladeshi nationals — Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar — according to the Saudi Ministry of Interior.
- What: Convicted of committing a “sexual act” inside a mosque in Mecca.
- Where: Executions carried out in the Mecca region.
- How the sentence was reached: Arrest, investigation, formal charges, conviction, appeal upheld, royal order authorising implementation.
- Dhaka’s position: No advance notice received; diplomatic note sent; official explanation sought; bilateral ties described as unaffected.
- Unresolved: Exact date of the offence, length of detention, ages and home districts of the two, and whether consular access was granted.
- Bangladeshi
What we do not know yet
Several central details remain unconfirmed. Saudi authorities have not released the date of the incident, the court that heard the case, or the ages of the two individuals.
Bangladesh’s consulate says it is still working to verify that the two were in fact Bangladeshi citizens. SNN News Finland will update this report when Riyadh responds to Dhaka’s request or when further official information is released.
For more details on the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in Saudi Arabia, read our related coverage of Saudi Arabia and developments involving the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
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