Saudi Arabia Executes Two Bangladeshis; Consulate Says It Was Not Notified

Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals, identified by the kingdom’s Interior Ministry as Nazerul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, following their conviction over an act described by authorities as immoral and committed inside a mosque in the holy city of Mecca.

The executions took place on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in the Mecca region, according to a statement issued by the Saudi Interior Ministry and published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The ministry said the pair were arrested by security authorities, investigated and formally charged before their case was referred to a competent court.

According to the official statement, the court found the charges against the two established and sentenced them to death under ta’zir, a category of punishment under Islamic law that allows judicial discretion. The ministry said the court considered the seriousness of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of the place and time in which it occurred.

The judgment was subsequently upheld by the relevant judicial authority, after which a royal order was issued authorizing the executions, the ministry said. It reiterated that the Saudi government would enforce Islamic law against those found to have violated the sanctity of mosques and warned that similar conduct could attract legal punishment.

However, the Saudi authorities did not disclose the precise nature of the act for which the pair were convicted, identify the mosque involved or provide details about when the alleged incident occurred and the arrests were made. Although some media reports have characterized the case as involving a sexual act, the published Interior Ministry statement uses the broader description of an immoral act without providing further particulars.

The executions have also raised a consular communication issue between the two countries. Bangladesh’s Consulate General in Jeddah told the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star that it had not received prior notification from the Saudi authorities before the sentences were carried out.

A consular official said the mission had submitted a formal diplomatic note, known as a note verbale, to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting official acknowledgement of the matter. The consulate’s account was reported on October 16, two days after the executions.

The case comes amid continued international scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s use of capital punishment, including against foreign nationals. The kingdom maintains that its courts apply Islamic law and that the sentences in this case followed judicial proceedings and the approval of the relevant authorities. The available public statement, however, does not provide enough detail to independently assess the evidence presented at trial, the defendants’ legal representation or the opportunities available to them to appeal.

The case is significant for Bangladesh, whose citizens form a substantial part of the foreign workforce in Saudi Arabia. Beyond the executions themselves, the consulate’s statement places attention on how the two governments communicate when Bangladeshi nationals face the most severe criminal penalties abroad. The limited information released about the proceedings also leaves unanswered questions about the circumstances of the case and the legal process that led to the sentences being carried out.