Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals convicted of committing what authorities described as “indecent acts” inside a mosque in Mecca, the Muslim holy city.
Bangladesh has expressed concern over the executions, saying it was not notified before the sentences were carried out. Its government has since requested further details from Saudi authorities.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry, the man and woman were executed on Wednesday after their death sentences were upheld by the country’s highest court and authorised by a royal decree.
The ministry said the executions were carried out because of “the gravity and seriousness of their actions in violating the sanctity of both time and place,” but did not provide further details about the offences.
Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry official Shama Obaed said her ministry had written to the Saudi government seeking “detailed information” about the case.
The executions came as Saudi Arabia continued to carry out death sentences in other cases. On Saturday, the kingdom executed five Saudi nationals convicted of terrorism-related offences, the Interior Ministry said.
Saudi Arabia remains one of the world’s leading users of the death penalty. Amnesty International recorded 356 executions in the kingdom in 2025, placing it behind only China and Iran.
Figures from Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry indicate that more than 170 people have been executed in the country so far this year.
