Saudi Arabia Executes Two Bangladeshis Over 'Indecent Acts' at Mecca Mosque as Kissing Claims Spread Online

Bangladesh is seeking answers from Saudi Arabia after two of its nationals were executed over what Saudi authorities described as an 'immoral act' inside a mosque in Makkah, amid unverified online claims about kissing and questions over the judicial proceedings.

The executions took place on 14 October 2026. Bangladesh has requested the full court judgments and details of the cases, saying its diplomatic mission was not notified beforehand.

Bangladesh Demands Answers Over Executions

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir described the executions as 'very disappointing' and said Dhaka had sought an explanation from Riyadh over a possible communication failure, according to The Daily Star.

The Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah subsequently submitted a formal diplomatic note requesting information about the executions and judicial proceedings.

A Daily Star report published on 20 October, citing a confidential consular memorandum, said a prisoner list received on 30 September included both nationals but did not disclose that they faced the death penalty.

Dispute Over the Woman's Identity

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry named the executed Bangladeshis as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. The confidential consular memorandum reported by The Daily Star identified the woman as 'Suety Akhter', which her family gives as Sweety Akhtar.

A family in Tangail says the photograph circulated in the media does not match their daughter, and that they spoke to her recently. Her mother said she was known as 'Siti' in Saudi Arabia, according to Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry has said it could not confirm the identities of the two executed nationals. Whether the woman executed is the same person as the Tangail family's daughter has not been established.

The memorandum said Nazrul was detained on 1 August 2023 under Saudi Arabia's cybercrime law. The woman was detained the following day over allegations of adultery. Both had worked as cleaners for Al Majal Company, according to the memorandum.

Charges and Legal Proceedings Remain Unclear

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said the two had been convicted of an 'immoral act' inside a mosque in Makkah. Their death sentences were upheld by the relevant judicial authority and authorised by royal order, according to the ministry.

The sentences were imposed under ta'zir, a category of discretionary punishment under Islamic law for offences not subject to fixed hadd penalties. Authorities cited the gravity of the alleged conduct and the sanctity of the time and place.

The announcement did not specify the precise conduct involved, identify the mosque or disclose the evidence presented during the trials.

Online claims have linked the case to kissing, but available reporting does not establish that this was the specific offence underlying the convictions. The full judgments are needed to clarify the charges, evidence and legal basis for the sentences.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a Paris-based human-rights organisation, condemned the executions and raised concerns about proportionality, judicial transparency and fair-trial guarantees. It also alleged that legal representation and consular assistance had been lacking. These claims have not been independently established. The consular memorandum said the mission had received no applications from either family seeking legal assistance before the executions.

Family Seeks Answers

According to The Daily Star, Nazrul's father, Abdul Basir, borrowed Tk 700,000 (approximately £4,300) to finance his eldest son's journey to Saudi Arabia for work.

Nazrul left Bangladesh on 10 November 2022. His family said it learnt of his execution through media reports.

'I want my son's body brought back home. If he was executed without just cause, I want justice,' Basir said.

Nazrul's mother, Rahima Begum, said the family received no advance notification. Relatives also said his paternal aunt died of a heart attack after hearing the news, although this account has not been independently verified.

The family has called for an investigation and the repatriation of Nazrul's body.

Diplomatic Questions Remain

Bangladesh continues to seek the full judgments and an explanation for the lack of advance notification. The case has raised questions about consular communication, transparency and families' access to information when relatives face capital punishment abroad.

The full judicial records are needed to establish the circumstances of the convictions, clarify the relationship between the recorded allegations and the mosque incident, and establish the identity of the second executed national.