57 Bangladeshis who were serving lengthy prison sentences for protesting the Gulf state against their own government have been pardoned by the president of the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ).
In July, 53 of the defendants were given 10-year and one-year prison sentences, respectively, while three received living words. They were accused of gathering in a public space to cause turmoil.
The protests were held against the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, in the days before she was ousted from power.
Rallies are effectively outlawed in the UAE, where foreigners make up nearly 90 % of the people. The second largest expatriate team is the Bangladeshis.
In Bangladesh, hundreds of people were killed during the days of turmoil that student-led demonstrations against restrictions on federal employment sparked. Sheikh Hasina resigned and emigrated to India on August 5.
According to reports, her efforts to seek hospital in the UK, the US, and the UAE have not been effective thus far.
According to the UAE’s state news agency WAM, the president’s pardon may “halt the application of words” and start imprisonment methods for some Bangladeshis, according to the UAE’s state news agency WAM.
His choice to forgive the protesters follows a phone call next month with Bangladesh’s time Prime Minister, Nobel prize Muhammad Yunus, who was installed following Ms Hasina’s journey.
According to express press, the 21 July test of the 57 Bangladeshis heard their rallies caused “riots, upheaval of public safety, barrier of law enforcement, and destruction of public and private property”.
Their court-appointed defence lawyer argued that the gatherings had no criminal intent and that the evidence was insufficient, WAM reported.
Amnesty International criticized what it called the UAE’s “extreme reaction to the mere existence of a public protest” on its soil at the time of the trial.
Six videos of the protests that were posted to TikTok and X on July 19th were later verified by Human Rights Watch.
The videos show peaceful protesters marching and chanting down streets in the UAE in the evening.
The group claimed that “none of the protesters were using language to incite violence in their chant” or engaged in violent acts.