Bangladesh has asked Saudi Arabia for a full account of the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals and says neither the foreign ministry nor the country's mission in the kingdom was notified in advance, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on 18 October.

The two were executed in the Mecca region on 14 October, the same day Bangladesh learned of the case, Shama said. Saudi Arabia's interior ministry announced the executions in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on 15 October, naming the pair as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. The ministry said the two were arrested after what it described as immoral acts inside a mosque in Mecca, tried by a competent court and sentenced to death under ta'zir, the discretionary category of punishment in Islamic law.

The ministry said the sentences were upheld by the relevant judicial authority and a royal order authorised their implementation. It said the penalty reflected the seriousness of the offence and what it called a violation of the sanctity of the mosque.

Shama said the government had not yet received detailed official information from Riyadh. "Our mission was not informed of when or how the incident occurred," she said. "I do not wish to comment at this stage on why the mission was not notified, as the Saudi government has not yet provided us with complete details."

Asked whether Saudi Arabia had breached its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by failing to notify Bangladesh before the trial, she said Dhaka first needed the full record. "Once we receive the full information, I will be able to explain the matter more clearly," she said, adding that the case should serve as a lesson.

Citing a message from the labour welfare wing of the Bangladesh mission, Shama said the two were alleged to have been involved in adultery inside a mosque in Mecca. She said she could not confirm identities or further details, and that the incident was still being verified with Saudi authorities.

On the return of the bodies, the state minister said both countries were processing the necessary formalities. "Only after receiving a clear picture from the Saudi government of what actually happened can we discuss the next steps, including how and when to bring their bodies back," she said.