Dhaka seeks answers over two nationals executed in Mecca

Two Bangla­de­shis execu­ted in Mecca on Oct 14 were included in a list of prisoners that Saudi Arabia had shared with the Bangladesh mission in the kingdom, but the list did not mention that they had been sentenced to death.

In September, the consulate general in Jeddah had sought information from Saudi authorities about Bangladeshi prisoners in the region, The Daily Star has learnt from foreign ministry officials in Dhaka and Riyadh.

“They sent us a list that inclu­ded the names of the two Bang­la­deshis – but there was no information about the verdicts,” said one of the officials posted in the consulate general in Jeddah.

The list mentioned “adultery” as the alleged offence against one person and “ICT” against the other.

“It was impossible to link the entries to the executions based on that list alone.”

Receiving a list of prisoners does not enable the consulate to provide immediate consular assis­tance to everyone named.

“We periodically visit jails in the kingdom to provide consular services. We have had many successful cases in which sentences were reduced,” the official said, adding that the consulate had recei­ved no requests for consular assistance from the Bangla­deshis.

Saudi Arabia did not notify Dhaka before executing the two Bangladeshis, said Shama Obaed Islam, state minister-2 for foreign affairs, on Saturday.

Subsequently, Saudi Ambassa­dor to Bangladesh Abdullah Zafer H. bin Abiyah was asked to provide details about the two Bangla­deshis on Sunday. The ambassador was handed a physical copy of the note verbale sent earlier through electronic channels.

The two Bangladeshis were accused of engaging in adultery inside a mosque in Mecca, accor­ding to a message sent to the ­foreign ministry by the Labour Welfare Wing of the Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia after the execution.

The Saudi authorities subsequently arrested, tried, sentenced and executed them.

Dhaka only learnt of the executions after they took place on Oct 14.

The Saudi authorities had ear­lier shared a list of about 2,500 prisoners that included the names of the two Bangladeshis, said a foreign ministry official posted in Dhaka.

“It is humanly impossible for a mission to follow up on every case. When we receive such lists, we look for vulnerable people and emergency cases.”

The ministry has asked the ­mission in Saudi Arabia to provide all the information so that the ­government can identify where it failed, the official said. — The Daily Star/ANN