Families of Bangladeshis who were executed in Saudi Arabia demanded that the bodies should be brought back home and alleged that the victims were denied defence lawyers during trial.
Eight Bangladeshi migrant workers were beheaded in public in Saudi Arabia on Friday on charges of an armed robbery and killing of an Egyptian man in April 2007.
The executed were Mamun, son of Abdul Menan of the Tangail district headquarters, Mohammed
Sumon, son of Abdul Hye, and Masud, son of Shamsul Haque, of Kalihati in Tangail, Shafiq al-Islam, son of Khowaz Uddin of Sakhipur in Tangali, Abu Hussain, son of Ahmed Biswas, and Motair Rahman, son of Shahid Khan, of Faridpur, Faruq, son of Jamaluddin of Daudkandi in Comilla, and Sumon Miah, son of Milan Miah of Pakundia in Kishoreganj.
'I want my son back,' said Hajera Khatun, mother of Mamun, as she kept wailing in her house at Abdullah Para in the Tangail district headquarters. 'A least bring the body back home.'
Mamun's elder brother Harun Mia alleged that his brother was not involved in the incident of killing.
'In 2009, we contacted the ministry of foreign affairs after my brother had been implicated in the case of the killing and held a press conference requesting the government to arrange for defence lawyers,' said Harun on Saturday night. He alleged that trial was conducted without giving the accused defence lawyer.
Harun demanded that the body of his brother should be brought back home and the family should be given compensation.
Jyotsna Akhter, sister of Masud who was among the executed, said that the family had been deeply shocked at the news of the execution. She added that they could not believe that Mamun could be proved a killer.
'My mother could not speak after hearing the news of execution. We want the body back,' she said.
The New Age correspondent in Faridpur said that family of Motair at Krishnanagar in the Faridpur district headquarters had also wanted the body back home.
Motair's brother Akmal Khan said that he had first heard the news a news bulletin on television on Saturday afternoon.
Motair went to Saudi Arabia after his SSC examinations to work as as salesman for Al-Toyk company in 2005.
On April 28, 2007, he was accused with 10 other Bangladeshi workers of killing an Egyptian worker in Riyadh.
Motair, who went to Saudi Arabia by selling his 75 decimals of land the family owned, last contacted his family on September 5, 2011 and talked for five minutes.
