Bangladesh says it was not informed of its citizens' execution by Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia said it executed two Bangladeshis last week for committing an "indecent act" in a mosque.
Bangladesh says it was not told about the execution of its citizens by Saudi Arabia
Bangladeshi officials say they were not notified of the recent execution of two Bangladeshi nationals in the holy city of Mecca until after it had already happened, according to local media reports.
A Bangladeshi man and woman were executed last Wednesday after being found guilty of carrying out an "indecent act" inside a mosque, the Saudi interior ministry said.
The ministry did not say what the act was.
Bangladesh says it has contacted the Saudi Arabian government to seek further details about the case.
The two Muslim nations have a close relationship because of their religious ties and strong economic links.
More than three million Bangladeshis live and work in Saudi Arabia, mostly in low-paid jobs, and the double execution has caused public concern in Bangladesh.
According to the Saudi interior ministry, the two Bangladeshi nationals were convicted and sentenced to death under "tazir", a term in Islamic law for punishments left to the judge's discretion.
The ministry said the sentences were imposed because of the seriousness of the offence and because they violated the "sanctity" of the mosque.
Bangladesh has contacted the Saudi government about the offences involved and the legal process in the case, said state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam.
Islam said the government would decide on next steps, including the repatriation of the bodies, after receiving information from Saudi authorities.
She added that the government remained committed to protecting the welfare and interests of Bangladeshis overseas.
The two executed Bangladeshis were on a list of prisoners Saudi Arabia had shared with Bangladesh after a request from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, but that list did not show that the pair had been sentenced to death, the Daily Star reported.
This is not the first time Saudi authorities have executed foreign nationals.
According to Amnesty International, the country has executed about 100 people this year, many of them foreigners convicted of drug offences.
In 2011, eight Bangladeshi men were publicly executed in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh after being found guilty of killing an Egyptian.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia overturned a death sentence given to a Sri Lankan man over a Facebook comment that led to a blasphemy conviction. That ruling followed public outrage in Sri Lanka and prompted diplomatic efforts to seek clemency for the man.