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A Saudi flag above a prison wall with razor wire. Representational image.
The Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah has formally requested the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide detailed sentencing records for 20 Bangladeshi convicts whose penalty specifics remain undisclosed in official prison registries. The move comes amid heightened alarm following the unnotified execution of two Bangladeshi nationals—Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter—who were initially among a cohort of 22 detainees listed vaguely as "convicted" without any sentence summaries.
According to a roster of 2,461 Bangladeshi detainees forwarded by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on September 30, the "status" column marked several inmates as convicted, while the "summary of judgment" section remained entirely blank. In a diplomatic note dispatched to the Makkah regional branch of the Saudi Foreign Ministry on October 19, the mission requested immediate coordination with relevant judicial bodies to provide the summaries to facilitate necessary consular support. The 22 identified cases encompass eight individuals convicted of murder, five of drug trafficking, five under "private rights" disputes, two for state statutory violations, one for cybercrime, and one for adultery, distributed across facilities including Zhahban, Shumaisi, Jeddah General, Najran, Khamis, and Al-Baha prisons.
Consul General Md. Sakhawat Hossain noted that without judgment specifics, the mission cannot determine if capital sentences have been handed down or facilitate legal appeals, blood-money settlements, or pardons. In a separate diplomatic communication sent on the same day, the mission petitioned Saudi authorities to classify the 2,461 detainees into five categories to expedite releases for time-served prisoners, recommend candidates for royal pardons, waive sentences for first-time petty offenders, and accelerate unresolved trials. A further inquiry was also lodged regarding two missing citizens detained without explanation. Formal replies to these communications are currently awaited from the Saudi authorities.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/national/1f1ce3ad-cf0f-6540-b956-3b1554828954