In brief
Two Bangladeshi men and a woman were executed in Mecca for an alleged indecent act in a mosque, shocking Bangladesh which said it was not informed until after the executions. The Saudi Interior Ministry said the death penalty was applied under ‘tazir’ for the offence’s severity. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry is demanding details and exploring repatriation of the bodies. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about how foreign nationals are treated in Saudi Arabia, where about 100 executions have taken place this year.
Bangladesh says it was stunned to learn that two of its nationals were executed in the holy city of Mecca last Wednesday, a fact it only discovered after the fact.
The Saudi Interior Ministry says the men and woman were convicted of an “indecent act” inside a mosque. The ministry, however, did not explain what the accused act entailed.
Bangladesh’s foreign officials are demanding more details and are looking into whether the bodies can be repatriated. The government has stressed it wants to protect Bangladeshis abroad and is pursuing diplomatic channels.
More than 3 million Bangladeshis live and work in Saudi Arabia, mostly in low‑pay jobs, and news of the double execution has raised public concern back home.
Saudi Arabia has carried out around 100 executions this year, many of them foreigners, according to Amnesty International. One earlier case involved a Sri Lankan whose death sentence was overturned after international outcry.
This is not the first time Bangladeshis have faced death in Saudi Arabia; back in 2011 eight Bangladeshi men were publicly executed in Riyadh for a murder case.
