Around 7,500 Bangladeshis imprisoned in Saudi Arabia: Shama Obaed

Around 7,500 Bangladeshis are currently held in various prisons in Saudi Arabia, and the government is working to take the necessary steps on their cases. Foreign Affairs State Minister Shama Obaed Islam gave this information to journalists in Dhaka on Friday (23 October).

The state minister spoke to reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after the body of Md Shahed Ahmed, a Bangladeshi worker killed in an attack in Saudi Arabia, arrived in the country. The body was later handed over to family members at Gate 8 of the airport’s cargo terminal.

Shahed was killed on 10 October in an attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. His home is in Madla village in Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura. He worked as a plumber on a project in Jeddah under the Saudi company Saad Al-Issa Contracting, and was attacked at the airport while returning to work from leave.

While handing over the body, the state minister said the bodies of 11 Bangladeshis killed in various conflicts in the Middle East over the past six months have been brought home. The process of returning the bodies of the other victims is also under way. She also said Shahed’s family would soon receive financial assistance from the government.

Meanwhile, concern has arisen over the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in Saudi Arabia, Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and Sweety Akter. The Saudi authorities did not inform the Bangladesh embassy or the consulate in Jeddah before carrying out the death sentences. According to a letter from the consulate, the matter was not formally communicated afterwards either.

In a letter sent on 18 October to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the labour welfare wing of the Bangladesh consulate in Jeddah said it learned of the executions from reports in the Saudi media. Those reports cited a 14 October statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry and said the executions were carried out in the Makkah region. Saudi authorities said the two were punished for violating the sanctity of a mosque in Makkah and engaging in immoral activities.

According to the consulate’s letter, Nazrul and Sweety worked as cleaners at a company called Al Majal in Saudi Arabia. Nazrul was detained on 1 August 2023 on charges of information-technology-related offences. Sweety was detained the next day on a charge of adultery. Nazrul was held at the Jeddah correctional facility and Sweety at Jeddah’s women’s prison. However, a list of detainees sent to the consulate on 30 September contained no mention of death sentences against them.

The letter also said 306 Bangladeshis are being held in prisons in western Saudi Arabia in various morality-related cases. Sentences have been announced for 147 of them, with prison terms ranging from one month to 15 years.

The Bangladesh government is in contact with the Saudi authorities to ensure the rights and legal assistance of Bangladeshis detained in Saudi Arabia and to obtain details about the executions. The role of embassies and consulates in protecting Bangladeshis working abroad and handling their legal problems has come under fresh discussion.