NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned 57 Bangladeshi citizens who were previously convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms for staging a rare protest in the Gulf country, against their South Asian country of Bangladesh, according to UAE state media.
His decision cancels the sentences of those convicted earlier and those pardoned would be deported from the UAE, WAM reported on Tuesday.
The 57 citizens were earlier sentenced by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of in an expedited trial in July after they had protested against the then-prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and her government amid Bangladesh protests.
Three of these citizens were sentenced to life in prison, while 53 were sentenced to 10 years in prison. One Bangladeshi who as per the state media had migrated illegally in the country and participated in the riots was sentenced to 11 years.
These Bangladeshi nationals were accused by the public prosecution of “crimes of gathering in a public place and protesting against their home government with the intent to incite unrest”.
This pardon comes less than a week after the president had congratulated Muhammad Yunus on becoming Bangladesh’s interim leader, as the former prime minister Hasina had to quit and flee the country because of violent protests.
Bangladeshi nationals constitute one of the largest communities in the UAE, a country with 10 million population having only 10 per cent Emiratis and mostly foreigners. Many Bangladeshis in the UAE work low-paid blue-collar jobs and send remittances home to help support their families.
The UAE’s hereditary rulers do not tolerate dissent. The country has restricted freedom of expression, political parties and labor unions are outlawed and protests are rare.
