When Abdul Basir borrowed Tk 7 lakh, he had one hope: that his eldest son, Nazrul Islam, would find work in Saudi Arabia and pull the family out of poverty. Today, according to Bangladesh's The Daily Star, the debt remains, and the 22-year-old is dead.
Nazrul was executed in Makkah on October 14. His family says they learnt of it not from any official, but from the news.
A hope cut short
The eldest of four siblings, Nazrul left the village of Birampur in Brahmanbaria on November 10, 2022, and found work as a cleaner. Just six months later, his family says, Saudi police arrested him and a young woman named Sweety Akhtar over allegations of an "immoral act" at a mosque in Makkah.
He spent the next three years and three months in detention. His mother, Rahima Begum, says he called home from prison every Sunday, yet no one warned the family before his execution. Relatives allege he was never given a chance to defend himself.
The Daily Star notes that the exact charges against Nazrul, and whether he received legal assistance or an opportunity to defend himself, could not be independently verified.
"I want justice"
Basir's grief is compounded by debt. "The creditors are now pressuring me to repay the debt," he said. "I want my son's body brought back home. If he was executed without just cause, I want justice."
The family says Rahima Begum has repeatedly broken down since hearing the news, and that Nazrul's paternal aunt, Abeda Begum, died of a heart attack on Wednesday night after learning of it. They are calling on the government to investigate and to bring his body home at state expense, and neighbours have urged support for the family.
Brahmanbaria Deputy Commissioner Md Abu Sayeed told the paper that the administration had received no instructions and the family had not applied for help, but that assistance would be provided under the rules if the body is returned.
What Saudi Arabia says
In a brief statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on October 14, the interior ministry named the two Bangladeshis as Nazerul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. It said they were charged after an investigation and tried by a competent court, which sentenced them to death under ta'zir, citing the gravity of the offence and the violation of the sanctity of time and place. The verdict was upheld and carried out under a royal order.
The statement did not describe the act, name the mosque or say when the two were arrested.
Why Dhaka was not told
The case has also exposed gaps in information-sharing between the two countries. A message sent after the execution by the Labour Welfare Wing of Bangladesh's mission in Saudi Arabia to the foreign ministry said the pair had been accused of adultery inside a mosque in Makkah. Dhaka learnt of the executions only after they had taken place.
The consulate in Jeddah says it was not notified in advance. Officials say a list of about 2,500 prisoners that Saudi Arabia shared in September included both names but made no mention of death sentences.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir acknowledged "a lapse somewhere" in the process and said Dhaka had sought an explanation from Riyadh; the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka has also been asked for details. According to The Daily Star, the government has yet to officially confirm the identities of the two.
In Birampur, the family is waiting for two things: their son's body, and answers.
Read The Daily Star's report on the family, its October 20 report, its report on the Saudi statement and its report on the diplomatic angle.