The Bangladesh government issued a note verbale — an unsigned diplomatic letter — to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on October 15, requesting clarification about the execution of a Bangladeshi man and woman earlier this week (October 14) in Mecca — an action of which Tarique Rehman’s government was unaware.
The execution was carried out under ta’zir, which is a form of punishment where the determination of the offence and sentence are left in the hands of a judge.
The Saudi Press Agency confirmed the execution of the individuals in a statement, with the Interior Ministry stating that it would enforce Islamic law against any individual found to be violating the sanctity of its mosques.
While the Bangladesh government awaits a response regarding the details of the incident, a question arises about how Saudi Arabia determines which crimes are punishable by death. How much of the system is rooted in Islamic law besides judicial and State discretion? And how have death penalty rulings worked in the past? We explain.
First, what is known about the incident till now?
The complete facts surrounding this incident have not yet been released.
What is known, however, is that a Bangladeshi man and woman were executed on October 14 after a court found them both guilty of an allegedly indecent act inside a mosque in the holy city of Mecca. They had come to Saudi Arabia some time back, according to a Gulf News report.\