Bangladesh officials admit failure to identify death sentences before Saudi executions

Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia are facing scrutiny after two citizens were executed without prior notification, exposing failures in prisoner monitoring and severe staffing shortages affecting services for 3.5 million expatriates.

The foreign ministry told a parliamentary committee Sunday that officials at the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah mistakenly believed the two prisoners faced sentences ranging from six months to 15 years.

Saudi authorities executed Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Sweety Akter in Mecca on Oct. 14. Nazrul had been detained since August 2023 on cybercrime allegations, while Sweety faced an adultery allegation.

According to The Daily Star, Saudi Arabia supplied a list of approximately 2,500 prisoners two weeks before the executions. Both names appeared, but their death sentences were not identified.

The parliamentary committee demanded an investigation into possible consular negligence and measures to prevent similar failures.

The Business Standard reported that Bangladesh’s three missions in Saudi Arabia have limited personnel despite serving approximately 3.5 million expatriates. The embassy in Riyadh has 14 officers under the ambassador, the Jeddah consulate has approximately 22, and the mission to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has one officer under its permanent representative.

Lawmakers also raised concerns about abuse involving Bangladeshi women workers. The ministry estimated that 1% to 2% of approximately 169,000 female workers experience abuse, while 1,364 domestic workers have been rescued and repatriated.

Bangladesh has requested explanations from Saudi authorities regarding the executions.