Saudi Ambassador Condole Families

Envoy of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Abdullah N.A. Al Bussairy, condoled families of the eight Bangladeshis executed in Riyadh this Friday.



"We acted for the implementation of Sharia law of Allah SWT. We had nothing to do but to uphold the sanctions of the Almighty," he told the newsmen in a press meet at his Gulshan residence Monday afternoon.



Eight Bangladeshi migrant workers were beheaded as sentenced by a Saudi court upon murder charge. An Egyptian security guard was killed in a theft raid the executed conducted to steal electrical goods from a Riyadh warehouse 22 April, 2007.

Al Bussairy said a 'blood money' was under negotiation by the Bangladesh mission in Riyadh, to be paid to the family of the Egyptian victim, but the family in exchange of blood sought blood, not money.



Bussairy said the Bangladesh Ambassador in Riyadh held meeting with the Egyptian envoy to broker a clemency from the victim's family by paying blood money, but he failed.



Upon ongoing criticism of the beheadings, Bussairy said that the law of Allah gets precedence over what the human rights organisations say.



"Executed Bangladeshis could be freed only if the victim's family had pardoned them even just before the execution", he said.



About the allegation that the Saudi trial was not fully fair and transparent, he said the case had continued for last four years and the accused were given all legal support to defend them through lawyers and interpreters but they were found guilty.



The Saudi Ambassador said that even the accused Bangladeshis had admitted their guilt at the open court. Of the eleven accused, eight were beheaded while three others found not directly involved in the murder were given punishment of different terms.



"Saudi government is fully sympathetic to the families who suffered losses through its proceedings. But their loved ones were righteously treated with the same law which protect their working and residency rights in the country as respected migrant workers", he said.



Al Bussairy said that on the day of the execution of eight Bangladeshis, a Saudi national was also executed for killing an Afghan national. The Saudi government could not save its own national.



Asked if the execution would strain relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, he said Bangladesh-Saudi relations are deep rooted and such incident would in no way affect the ties.