Twenty-two Bangladeshis held in Saudi prisons have the word 'convicted' written next to their names, yet the list sent by the Saudi government fails to specify their punishments—whether it is a prison term of a certain number of years or the death penalty. Even the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah remains unaware of their legal status.
Among these 22 individuals were Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter, whose execution sparked widespread public outrage in Bangladesh. The fate of the remaining 20 remains similarly uncertain. To ascertain their exact sentences, the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah has formally written to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The consulate sent the letter to the Makkah regional branch (Jeddah) of the Saudi Foreign Ministry on October 19. Speaking to Chitra Post on Thursday, Bangladesh Consul General in Jeddah, Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain, stated that clear information has been requested from Saudi authorities to ensure consular access and rights for the convicted Bangladeshi nationals.
Questions Over Blank Sentencing Columns
On September 30, the Saudi Foreign Ministry sent a list of 2,461 Bangladeshi prisoners held in various facilities under the jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah. While some of these prisoners have been convicted by courts, others still have pending trials. Upon meticulously examining the list, the consulate noticed that while the status column for several individuals read 'convicted,' the summary of judgment column was left completely blank, omitting any mention of the nature or duration of the punishment.
In its October 19 letter, the consulate urged the Jeddah branch of the Saudi Foreign Ministry to coordinate with relevant authorities and promptly provide the summaries of the judgments. The letter emphasized that this information is urgently required to effectively discharge consular responsibilities.
