Bangladesh Seeks Answers on Whether Two Executed Citizens Had a Chance to Defend Themselves

 

Bangladesh Seeks Answers on Whether Two Executed Citizens Had a Chance to Defend Themselves

Bangladesh has asked Saudi Arabia why it was not informed that two Bangladeshi nationals, Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter, had been sentenced to death before their executions.

The names of both individuals appeared on a list of detainees sent by Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh. Although the list mentioned the offences they had been convicted of, it did not specify their sentences. Both were subsequently executed.

Bangladesh’s Consul General in Jeddah, Md Sakhawat Hossain, raised the issue on Monday during a meeting with Farid bin Saad Al Shehri, director general of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Several officials at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Saudi official was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation.

On the same day, Bangladesh sent another diplomatic note to Saudi Arabia requesting detailed information about the cases and judicial proceedings involving the two citizens. Dhaka also asked whether they had been given an opportunity to defend themselves.

Sakhawat Hossain confirmed that the meeting had taken place and that a further diplomatic note had been sent. However, he declined to disclose details of the discussions.

According to several officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh’s consul general questioned why the list of detainees supplied by Saudi Arabia included the names of Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter but omitted information about their sentences.

A senior ministry official said the latest diplomatic note requested comprehensive details about the cases, the stages of the judicial proceedings, and whether the two individuals had been given an opportunity to defend themselves after being charged and convicted.

On Oct. 14, the Saudi Press Agency, citing the Saudi Ministry of Interior, reported that the two Bangladeshis had been executed. The following day, on Oct. 15, the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah sent a diplomatic note to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking information about the death sentences. The note was sent again to the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka on Oct. 18.

During Monday’s meeting, Bangladeshi officials requested that Saudi Arabia provide the relevant information as soon as possible. Officials described the meeting as cordial.

The Saudi side said the two individuals had been arrested in August 2023 and initially sentenced by a lower court following judicial proceedings. A 13-judge appellate court panel subsequently upheld their death sentences. The executions were carried out separately in designated facilities for men and women, in accordance with the court verdicts.

Bangladesh’s consul general also questioned discrepancies in the information supplied by Saudi Arabia. He asked why the list failed to mention the sentences imposed on Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter if their cases had been handled through the proper judicial process.

The Bangladeshi diplomat further pointed out that, had the consulate been informed through the list that the two citizens had received death sentences, it could have taken steps to assist them. The Saudi representative was reportedly unable to provide a satisfactory answer.

Both Worked for the Same Company

Sources at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a list of convicted individuals to the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah on Sept. 30. The names of Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter appeared on the list.

Nazrul Islam was from Brahmanbaria district, while Sweety Akter was from Tangail district. Both arrived in Saudi Arabia in late 2022 and subsequently worked as cleaners for Al Majal Company.

Both Were Convicted on Separate Charges

Information obtained from Bangladeshi diplomatic officials in Dhaka, Riyadh and Jeddah, along with official documents, indicates that Nazrul Islam was detained on Aug. 1, 2023, while Sweety Akter was arrested the following day, on Aug. 2.

The list sent on Sept. 30 stated that Nazrul Islam was being held at Jeddah Correctional Facility and had been convicted of cybercrime or an offence related to information technology. However, it did not specify the date of his sentencing or the punishment imposed.

Sweety Akter was listed as being held at Jeddah Women’s Prison. The document mentioned an adultery charge against her but did not provide details of her sentence.

A communication sent by the Bangladesh mission in Jeddah to Dhaka on Oct. 18 stated that officials were unaware of any previous case in which a Bangladeshi citizen had been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for cybercrime or adultery.

The communication also reported that 306 Bangladeshis were being held in prisons across western Saudi Arabia in connection with various offences involving moral turpitude. Of these, 147 had received prison sentences ranging from one month to 15 years.

Additionally, three Bangladeshis had been convicted in separate cybercrime cases in Mecca. Their prison sentences ranged from six months to five years.

‘The Matter Is Disappointing’

Foreign Affairs State Minister Humaiun Kobir spoke to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday afternoon about the executions of the two Bangladeshi nationals.

He described the executions, following criminal allegations against the two citizens in Saudi Arabia, as disappointing for Bangladesh.

Responding to questions from journalists, the state minister acknowledged shortcomings in information-sharing and diplomatic communication surrounding the cases.

He said Bangladesh had requested a detailed explanation from Saudi authorities, along with relevant information about the circumstances of the executions and the legal proceedings that preceded them.