Saudi Arabia executed a Bangladeshi man and woman on October 14 after a court convicted them of committing “indecent acts” inside a mosque in the holy city of Mecca.
The executions have prompted questions from , which says it was not informed beforehand and is seeking an explanation from Riyadh.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said the court sentenced the two to death under ta’zir, a category of punishment under that gives judges discretion in determining offences and penalties.
However, the ministry did not specify what the alleged acts were, identify the mosque where they took place or disclose when the two were arrested. Gulf News reported that the verdicts were upheld by the relevant judicial authority before a royal order authorised the executions.
According to the Saudi Interior Ministry’s statement, carried by the Saudi Press Agency, security authorities arrested the two individuals, investigated the case and referred them to a competent court.
The court found them guilty and imposed death sentences, citing the seriousness of the offence, the sanctity of the mosque and the circumstances in which the acts took place, Gulf News reported.
The ministry reportedly identified the two as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar, both Bangladeshi nationals.
While several outlets have described them as a couple, The Week noted that it was not confirmed whether they were married to each other.
The ministry did not identify a specific statutory provision under which they were convicted. It warned that those who violate the sanctity of mosques or commit similar offences would face punishment under Saudi law.
Bangladesh has expressed disappointment over the lack of advance notification and is seeking details about the case and the circumstances surrounding the executions.
According to The Daily Star, the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah said it had not been notified beforehand and had submitted a diplomatic note to Saudi authorities seeking formal acknowledgement of the matter.
Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser, , also expressed disappointment over the lack of communication and said Dhaka was seeking an explanation, according to The Indian Express.
Saudi authorities have not publicly disclosed further details about the alleged acts or whether the two individuals had legal representation.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said the sentences were imposed under ta’zir, a form of punishment that allows judicial discretion rather than prescribing a fixed penalty for every offence.
Islamic criminal law is commonly described through three broad categories:
Hadd: Offences for which traditional interpretations of Islamic law prescribe specific punishments.
Qisas: Retributive justice, generally involving offences such as murder or bodily injury.
Ta’zir: Offences for which the punishment is determined through judicial discretion rather than fixed in advance under traditional rules.
According to MENA Rights Group cited by The Indian Express, does not have a fully codified penal code, leaving judges significant discretion in interpreting Islamic law and determining criminal penalties.
Human Rights Watch noted in a 2008 report that ta’zir offences accounted for most criminal cases in Saudi Arabia and that judges were not bound by earlier rulings in the same way as under a system of binding precedent.
In this case, the invoked ta’zir but did not disclose the specific legal reasoning behind the death sentences.
The limited public information makes it difficult to independently assess how the court reached its decision.
