8 BANGLADESHI men have been executed in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Friday.

The migrant workers, who were beheaded in public, were Suman Mia from Kishoreganj, Mohammad Suman, Mamun Abdul Mannan, Masud Shamsul Haque and Shafiqul Islam from Tangail, Faruk Jamal from Comilla, Abul Hossain and Matiar Rahman from Faridpur sentenced to death for the alleged murder of an Egyptian man in April 2007.

The human rights watchdog Amnesty International has slammed the beheadings, noting that Saudi Arabia has recently seen a rise in the number of such executions.

“Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia fall far short of international standards for fair trial and news of these recent multiple executions is deeply disturbing,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa.

“The Saudi authorities appear to have increased the number of executions in recent months, a move that puts the country at odds with the worldwide trend against the death penalty.”

“The government must establish an immediate moratorium on executions in the Kingdom and commute all death sentences, with a view to abolishing the death penalty completely,” she added.

The beheadings bring the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year to at least 58, more than double than the 2010 figures. 20 of those executed in 2011 were foreign nationals.

A Bangladeshi expatriate, said many foreign workers had no choice but to get involved in petty crimes for survival, as their employers often did not pay them their salaries.

Things are unlikely to improve unless such irregularities are resolved by Saudi Government.