To mourn or to wait: A family’s grim dilemma

No official confirmation of daughter’s execution in KSA

Fazal Mia still does not know whether to mourn his youngest daughter or wait for her to come home.

The day labourer from Tangail learned just two days ago that his daughter, Sweety Akhtar, who had been working in Saudi Arabia, had been executed.

Yet, with no official confirmation from the government, the family has neither the certainty of her death nor the comfort of knowing she is alive.

Nearly four years ago, Fazal borrowed Tk 1.5 lakh to send Sweety to Saudi Arabia, hoping to secure a better future for her.

A resident of Nagar Chhawali village in Mahera union of Tangail’s Mirzapur upazila, he recalled how his daughter initially sent money home before the family received troubling news.

“She sent money home for the first five months. One day, she called and told us she had been sent to jail,” Fazal told The Daily Star.

According to him, Sweety said she had been framed and imprisoned following an argument with other female workers in Saudi Arabia. The family then lost contact with her for about a year.

“She later began calling home again, usually once a month, but never told us about her trial or sentence.

“During one of her last calls, she said she might be released from jail in two months. She called us from jail as recently as 15 days ago. Even then, she said nothing about her sentence.”

The foreign ministry recently said it had learned of the executions of two Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia but had been unable to confirm their identities.

“We do not know what has happened to my daughter. We do not even know whether she is alive or dead. We have only heard rumours,” Fazal said.

Sweety’s mother, Johura, said her daughter was divorced and had a four-year-old daughter.

“After Sweety left for Saudi Arabia, her elder sister, Beauty, took responsibility for raising the child.

“I want the government to tell me what happened to my daughter. I want her back. Whether she is alive or dead, I just want my daughter back,” Johura said.

Mahera Union Parishad chairman Bibhas Sarkar and Mirzapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdullah Al Mamun said they had received no information about Sweety from the government.

CONSULAR MEMO RAISES QUESTIONS

A confidential consular memo obtained by The Daily Star shows that the two Bangladeshis executed in Makkah on October 14 had been detained since August 2023 on separate allegations, but a prisoner list received by the consulate made no mention of death sentences.

The October 18 memo, sent by the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, identifies them as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Suety Akhter (identified by her family as Sweety Akhtar).

The prisoner list, received on September 30, shows Nazrul was detained on August 1, 2023, under Saudi Arabia’s cybercrime law, while Suety was detained a day later on allegations of adultery. Both had worked as cleaners for Al Majal Company and were held at Jeddah Correctional Facility and Jeddah Women’s Prison, respectively.

Although the list included brief descriptions of offences involving 97 prisoners, it contained no details of the offences or death sentences involving the two Bangladeshis.

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry, however, said the two were executed after being convicted of an “immoral act” inside a mosque in Makkah. The memo does not explain how the conviction relates to the earlier allegations.

The memo does not specify whether either had access to an interpreter or legal representation during their trials. Neither family had sought legal assistance from the consulate.

It also states that Saudi authorities had not notified either the Bangladesh embassy or consulate, officially or unofficially, of the death sentences or executions.

The consulate has since sent a note verbale to the Makkah branch of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting copies of the judgments and details of the proceedings. A further report will follow once the judgments are received.

PROTEST IN SAVAR

Meanwhile, labour organisations yesterday formed a human chain in front of the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar to protest the execution of two Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia.

Organised by Jatiya Garments Sramik Unity, the programme demanded timely consular assistance for detained Bangladeshis, close monitoring of death penalty cases, urgent diplomatic intervention, and access to legal aid and interpreters during trials.

The protesters also sought greater transparency, accountability and oversight of Bangladesh missions, a digital system to track cases involving detained expatriates, and stronger coordination between the foreign ministry and diplomatic missions to protect expatriates’ rights and security.

Leaders and activists of several labour organisations attended.

Speakers included Textile Garments Workers Federation central president Abul Hossain, Bangladesh Textile Garments Workers Federation Dhaka district president Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh Progressive Garments Workers Federation Ashulia thana president Masud Rana Sultan, and Textile Garments Workers Federation Ashulia thana president Mansur Ali.

The programme was moderated by Jatiya Garments Sramik Unity president Md Faridul Islam.

(Our Tangail and Savar Correspondents contributed to this report)