Bangladesh learns of two nationals' execution in Mecca after the fact

Two Bangladeshi men and women were put to death in Mecca on Wednesday after a Saudi court found them guilty of an indecent act inside a mosque. The Saudi interior ministry said the pair were sentenced under the discretionary punishment category of tazir because the act was deemed to breach the mosque’s sanctity. Bangladeshi officials say they only learned of the executions after they occurred, despite having received a prisoner list from the Saudi side that did not flag a death sentence. Foreign Affairs Minister Shama Obaed Islam said the government has asked Riyadh for full details and will decide on matters such as bringing the bodies home once information is received. Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia enjoy close ties rooted in shared religion and large labour migration, with over three million Bangladeshis working in the kingdom, mostly in low‑paid jobs. The news has sparked concern among Bangladesh’s public. The executed pair had been included in a list of detainees that the Bangladesh consulate in Jeddah had requested from Saudi authorities, but the list omitted any indication of a capital punishment. Amnesty International notes that Saudi Arabia has carried out about 100 executions this year, many involving foreign nationals on drug charges. The kingdom previously executed eight Bangladeshis in 2011 for a murder case and recently reversed a death sentence for a Sri Lankan man after diplomatic pressure. ## Context Saudi Arabia’s use of tazir allows judges to impose severe penalties for acts seen as violating religious sanctity, and such cases often raise diplomatic strains when foreign workers are involved.