UAE pardons 57 Bangladeshis jailed for protests against ousted government

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The UAE has pardoned 57 Bangladeshis residing in the country who had been jailed for protesting against the now-ousted government in their homeland, state media reported on Tuesday.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan “ordered a pardon for the Bangladeshi nationals involved in… protests and disturbances across several emirates,” according to the official Emirati news agency WAM.

“The decision includes cancelling the sentences of those convicted and arranging for their deportation,” the agency added.

The oil-rich Gulf state prohibits unauthorised protests and forbids criticism of rulers or any speech that could incite social unrest. The Bangladeshis had been convicted for their involvement in protests supporting student-led demonstrations in Bangladesh that led to the ousting of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina.

In the weeks leading up to Hasina’s removal last month, more than 450 people were killed in Bangladesh, many by police gunfire, as crowds stormed her official residence in Dhaka.

In July, an Emirati court sentenced three Bangladeshis to life imprisonment, 53 others to 10 years, and one to 11 years.

At the time of the trial, Human Rights Watch, based in New York, criticized the “abusively fast” legal process, raising “serious concerns about fairness and due process.”

According to the UAE foreign ministry, Bangladeshis make up the third-largest group of foreigners in the country, following Pakistanis and Indians.

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