RIYADH, 19 March 2008 — The Bangladeshi government is seeking information from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs about eight of their citizens on death row for killing an Egyptian man in Riyadh last year.
“Not only this, the Bangladeshi Embassy has also approached the Foreign Ministry for consular access, which would allow its diplomats to meet the accused in the high-security Al-Hair Prison here,” said S.M. Haroonur Rashid, spokesman for the embassy.
The accused have been in prison since April last year. Saudi law does not usually allow consular access to people on death row and access has so far not been granted.
The Bangladeshi Embassy has asked the local Egyptian Embassy to mediate between the two parties in the case. “The response from the Egyptian Embassy has been positive and we’re hopeful of soon holding talks with the relatives of the deceased,” said Rashid, adding that the case has been blown out of proportion by the media and those with vested interests.
The spokesman added that the eight workers had been sentenced to death while three others were sentenced to 12 years in prison. A total of 14 Bangladeshi workers were implicated in the case. Three of the defendants are still at large.
According to the men’s relatives, an appeal has been lodged at the Higher Court in Riyadh. The relatives have also appealed to the Bangladeshi government to take necessary steps and approach the Saudi government for clemency.
At a press conference in Dhaka, the friends and families renewed their request for a royal pardon recently. They said that the Bangladeshi workers, who arrived in the Kingdom four to five years ago, challenged an Egyptian man who was caught leaving their residence having stolen electric wires.
“When they were quizzing the Egyptian youth, other Egyptian workers from a factory swooped on the Bangladeshis prompting them to retaliate,” they said. “The Egyptian man was killed in the clash. His death was totally unexpected.”
The relatives urged Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury to work for securing a pardon from the Saudi government.
With over 1.5 million Bangladeshis living and working in the Kingdom, about 600 Bangladeshi nationals are in Saudi jails for various crimes. The majority of Bangladeshis — often victims of unscrupulous recruitment agents — are employed in low-paid jobs prompting many to indulge in crime to make ends meet.
