Rights group urges review of consulate's role in Saudi execution of two Bangladeshis
Human Rights Forum Bangladesh (HRFB) calls for an independent review of the victims’ trials and consular support, saying Saudi authorities’ failure to notify Bangladesh did not absolve its diplomatic mission of responsibility.
The Human Rights Forum Bangladesh has demanded an independent review of the Bangladesh diplomatic mission's role in the cases of two Bangladeshi nationals executed in Saudi Arabia, questioning whether they received adequate legal and consular assistance.
In a statement today (21 October), the rights organisation expressed deep concern over the executions in the Mecca region and called for accountability if any failure by Bangladeshi officials to protect the citizens' rights is established.
According to media reports on 19 and 20 October, Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Sweety Akhtar were executed on 14 October.
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A letter sent by the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah's labour wing to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment on 18 October reportedly said the two had been detained since August 2023 in separate cases.
The letter said a list of detainees received by the consulate on 30 September did not include their sentences, although sentencing details were provided for other detainees. Saudi authorities had also not formally or informally notified the Bangladesh Embassy or consulate about the executions.
The Human Rights Forum questioned what steps the consulate had taken to investigate the missing sentencing information and protect the two citizens' rights before their executions. It stressed that Saudi authorities' failure to provide notification did not absolve Bangladesh's diplomatic mission of its responsibilities.
The organisation called for disclosure of information received by the consulate and the foreign ministry, the actions taken in response and whether officials had identified the risk of execution early enough to intervene.
Citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Human Rights Forum called for an assessment of whether the two Bangladeshis received fair trials, effective legal representation, interpretation services, access to appeals and clemency procedures, and consular assistance.
It urged the government to pursue the matter through formal diplomatic channels, obtain relevant documents, and publish the findings of an independent review of the consulate's actions and coordination with the foreign ministry.
It also called for stronger safeguards for Bangladeshis facing criminal charges abroad, accountability if negligence or dereliction of duty is established, and fair compensation for the families of the two executed citizens.
