Two Bangladeshis executed by Saudi Arabia: One was held for ‘cybercrime’, other for ‘adultery’

The two Bangladeshis executed in Saudi Arabia last week had been detained since August 2023 over separate allegations – cybercrime and adultery, according to a confidential memo from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah.

The letter, dated 18 October and sent to the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry, says the two Bangladeshis were executed on 14 October 2026. It identified the man as Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and the woman as Sweety Akhtar.

According to the consulate’s account, a prisoner list received by the consulate on 30 September shows that Nazrul was detained on 1 August 2023 over an alleged offence under Saudi Arabia’s cybercrime law. Sweety was detained the next day on allegations of adultery.

The letter puts the number of Bangladeshis imprisoned in Saudi Arabia’s western region at 306, of whom 147 had received prison sentences ranging from one month to 15 years. It also refers to three separate cybercrime cases in which the prison terms ranged from six months to five years.

The letter does not provide the specific acts that led to the allegations against either individual; nor does it include the court judgments or details of the evidence presented during their trials.

The consulate said it had no knowledge of any previous case in which a Bangladeshi national had been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for an offence under the cybercrime law or for adultery.

The letter also notes that Saudi courts provide interpreting assistance, although defendants cannot choose their own interpreters under the arrangement described by the consulate. It does not establish whether either of the two Bangladeshis had an interpreter or legal representation during the proceedings.

The consulate said neither family had submitted an application or contacted it seeking legal assistance. Saudi authorities had also not officially or unofficially informed the Bangladesh embassy or the consulate general about the death sentences or their execution, according to the letter.

Following the executions, the consulate sent a formal diplomatic note to the Makkah branch of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting copies of the judgements and details of the judicial proceedings. It said a further report would be submitted after receiving the documents.

The consulate did not provide further details of the two cases in its letter, saying it is awaiting the court judgements from the Saudi authorities.