Saudi Arabia says it executed two Bangladeshi nationals

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said it executed two Bangladeshi nationals in the Makkah region on October 14 after a court convicted them of what it described as immoral or indecent acts in a mosque. The ministry identified them as Nazerul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. The ministry said security authorities arrested the pair, investigated the case and referred it to a competent court. The court found the charges proven and sentenced them to death under tazir, a form of discretionary punishment under Islamic law. The ministry said the sentences were upheld by the relevant authority before a royal order authorized their implementation. The official account cited the gravity of the offence and a violation of the sanctity of the time and place. It did not specify what the alleged acts were, identify the mosque or say when the arrests took place. The available accounts likewise do not establish whether the two received consular assistance or whether their families were informed. A Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah official said the mission had not been notified of the executions beforehand. The consulate submitted a note verbale to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign...