57 Bangladeshi detainees in UAE freed after protest pardon
Shiharan
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates, has issued a pardon for 57 Bangladeshi nationals imprisoned for staging a protest against their previous government in the UAE, where such demonstrations are prohibited.
They would be deported to Bangladesh soon, Dr Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser in Bangladesh’s interim government, disclosed in a meeting on Tuesday, according to the chief adviser’s press wing.
The clemency had been granted due to the international reputation of Dr Muhammad Yunus, Shafiqul Alam, the chief adviser's press secretary, told the media.
Discussions were now underway with the Bangladesh embassy in the UAE to determine the next steps for these individuals, he added.
An Emirati court had sentenced the 57 Bangladeshi expatriates to lengthy prison terms, state media reported on July 22.
The official Emirati news agency WAM said three Bangladeshi expatriates had been sentenced to life, 53 others to 10 years in prison and one to 11 years for participating in protests.
The defendants had "gathered and incited riots in several streets across the United Arab Emirates on Friday", WAM said, adding they would be deported after the completion of their prison terms.
It quoted a witness as saying that the defendants had gathered and organised large-scale marches in several streets of the UAE in protest against decisions made by the Bangladeshi government.
The UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms, is populated mostly by expatriates, many of them South Asians who work as labourers, reports AFP.
Bangladeshis form the third largest expatriate group in the UAE, after Pakistanis and Indians, according to the UAE foreign ministry.
The oil-rich Gulf state bans unauthorized protests and prohibits criticism of rulers or speech that is deemed to create or encourage social unrest.
Defamation, as well as verbal and written insults, whether published or made in private, are punishable by law.
The country's penal code also criminalizes offending foreign states or jeopardizing ties with them.
Protests swept Bangladesh in July against a quota system for civil service jobs that critics say benefitted supporters of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
What began as a student movement turned into a mass uprising, which finally forced Hasina to resign and flee the country.
