The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Family members of the six Bangladeshis convicted in Saudi Arabia yesterday urged the caretaker government to take immediate steps so that the Saudi government would pardon them and allow them to come back home alive.

They made the appeal at a press conference at the office of Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh at yesterday.

They said a total of 14 Bangladeshis were accused of killing an Egyptian national in Saudi Arabia and eight of them were condemned to death. However, two of them managed to flee back to Bangladesh.

After conviction, the eight convicted Bangladeshis appealed to the higher court in Saudi Arabia seeking mercy for life.

Those condemned to death are Mamun, 25, son of Mannan Sarkar, Shafiqul, 23, son of Khowajuddin and Masud, 25, son of Shamsul Haque of Tangail, Faruque, 38, son of Jamal Uddin of Comilla, Suman, 25, son of Abdul Hye of Kishoreganj, Masud Rana, 25, of Brammanbaria and Motiur Rahman, 28, son of Shahid Khan of Faridpur.

However, the identity of another convict could not be ascertained.

Parents of the convicted Bangladeshis said that their sons intercepted the Egyptian victim on April 28 last year while he was stealing electric cable from Al Tuek Company in Riyadh where the Bangladeshis used to work.

Being resisted, they said, the Egyptian national along with his associates attacked the Bangladeshis triggering a clash in which the

Egyptian national died.

"I appeal to get my son back. I request the Chief Adviser of the caretaker government, the Foreign Adviser and other authorities concerned to take initiatives for bringing them back alive," Jamal Uddin, father of convict Faruque, said in an emotion-choked voice with his hands folded.

Achia Begum, mother of Suman, said they heard that a foreign ministry team, led by its secretary, would visit Saudi Arabia within a week.

"Please, take necessary steps during the visit to return them to us," she said.

"We appeal to the both Saudi and Bangladesh governments to do something to save the lives of our sons. We call upon the Saudi government to allow our sons to return home alive," she said with tears rolling down her face.