UAE pardons 57 Bangladeshis who took part in protests against Hasina govt

By Faisal Mahmud

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan granted a pardon to all 57 Bangladeshis who had been convicted during the South Asian nation's tumultuous protest that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.

Following a meeting with the country’s newspaper editors on Tuesday, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus announced that they will be deported to Bangladesh soon.

The Yunus government recently requested the UAE government to grant pardons to those Bangladeshis.

The convictions had been issued in late-July after the Bangladeshis staged a rather rare protest in the Gulf country, expressing solidarity with Bangladesh’s student-led jobs quota protest, which ultimately toppled the government.

On July 22, an Emirati court had handed down lengthy prison sentences to 57 Bangladeshi expatriates.

According to the UAE's WAM news agency, three of the expatriates were sentenced to life in prison, 53 received 10-year sentences, and one was given an 11-year term for their involvement in the protests.

WAM reported that the defendants had "gathered and incited riots in several streets across the United Arab Emirates on Friday," and added that they would be deported after serving their sentences.

A witness mentioned that the defendants organized large-scale marches in various streets of the UAE to protest decisions made by the then-Bangladeshi government led by Sheikh Hasina.

Bangladeshis are the third largest expatriate group in the UAE, following Pakistanis and Indians, according to the UAE Foreign Ministry.

The Gulf state prohibits unauthorized protests and restricts criticism of its rulers or any speech that could lead to social unrest.