At least 7,500 Bangladeshi migrants are currently held in prisons across Saudi Arabia, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said.
She gave the figure on Friday in answer to a reporter’s question during the handover of the body of Shahed Ahmed, a Bangladeshi killed in a Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia.
“The Saudi authorities send us a list from time to time. Our citizens are in jail after being convicted of various offences, and they inform us about that,” she said. “According to the information we have, about 7,500 Bangladeshis are in prison there at the moment.”
The state minister said the ministry had not received details about the two Bangladeshis recently executed on charges of “immoral acts” at a mosque in Mecca. “According to our ministry’s information, the Saudi government has given us no further details about the two Bangladeshis who were beheaded,” she said.
On October 14, the Saudi authorities announced the execution of two Bangladeshis, Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akter. Bangladesh was not formally informed before the sentences were carried out. After the news appeared in the media, the Bangladesh consulate in Jeddah wrote to the Saudi authorities asking for details and a copy of the verdict.
Setting out the next steps, the state minister said: “We have formally written to the Saudi government for a copy of the verdict. Only when we receive it will we know what actually happened.” The Saudi ambassador in Dhaka was also summoned to discuss the matter, she said.
Expressing respect for the local legal framework, she said every country has its own justice system and takes decisions accordingly. “But when such a sentence is handed to a foreign national, the country concerned needs to be informed. We want the details so that such incidents can be avoided in future. Work is continuing on this, but we have to be a little patient.”
Turning to the background of the two executions, Shama Obaed pointed to the periods of the former Awami League government and the interim government. “The incident involving those who were, unfortunately, beheaded took place in 2023. Who was in power in 2023? Then came the interim government, which was in office for a year and a half. Our BNP government was formed only six months ago, and in these six months we were not given this information,” she said.
She added that although the case dated from 2023, the BNP government acted as soon as it learned of it. “We will make every effort to protect our citizens. This problem has to be resolved through diplomatic talks with the Saudi government.”
The state minister advised expatriates who need any service to contact the relevant embassy or the foreign ministry, and warned that strict action would be taken if negligence or shortcomings in service were found.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report