Published: 01:45 AM, 19 October 2026
MOFA seeks details of Bangladeshis' executions from Saudi Ambassador
The government has sought information about the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in Mecca after meeting Saudi Ambassador to Dhaka Abdullah Bin Jafar H. Abiah.
Nazrul Islam, Secretary for bilateral affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), called the Saudi Ambassador to a meeting at the state guesthouse Padma on Sunday afternoon.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed briefed journalists on the meeting with the Saudi Ambassador.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said, "The ambassador was invited to the meeting, where he was handed a copy of the note verbal previously sent to the Saudi government."
However, the official said the meeting should be described as a meeting rather than a formal summons.
Earlier, Saudi authorities announced that two Bangladeshis had been executed last Wednesday over allegations of "immoral acts" at a mosque in Mecca. However, Saudi Arabia had not informed Bangladesh of the decision beforehand. After the news appeared in the media, the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah sent a letter to the Saudi authorities seeking information and details about the two individuals.
Officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah confirmed that the letter was sent to the Jeddah Foreign Ministry office on Thursday. However, they declined to be named.
A consular official in Jeddah said Saudi authorities had not notified the Bangladesh mission through any channel, diplomatic correspondence, or other means about the trial or the execution of the two Bangladeshis.
Referring to the news of the executions reported by the Saudi state news agency, the official said, "We found only two names in the report: Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. However, there was no information about their residency permits (iqamas) or passports. Based on this report, there was no official way to establish even which country they were citizens of."
The official said the consulate had requested information from the regional Foreign Ministry office in Jeddah through a diplomatic letter.
"We wanted to know their nationality and which country they belonged to, what they had done, and the full details of why this action was taken against them. We have requested all the details," the official said.
