57 Bangladeshis were given lengthy prison sentences by a judge in the UAE for organizing demonstrations against the state of their own country.
Three of the unnamed defendants were sentenced to life for “inciting riots in several streets across the UAE on Friday”, while 53 others were jailed for 10 years and one for 11 years, state-run Wam news agency reported.
It cited their court-appointed defense attorney who claimed during the trial on Sunday that the meetings had no legal intent and that the data was inadequate.
Rallies are effectively outlawed in the UAE, where foreigners make up nearly 90 % of the people. The third-largest expat group is made up of Bangladeshis.
In Bangladesh, more than 150 people have been killed and 500 arrested during days of violence sparked by student-led demonstrations against quotas on government jobs.
Sheikh Hasina has faced one of the most pressing problems in her 15 years as the nation’s premier secretary.
According to Wam, the 57 Bangladeshis ‘ trial was told that they had “organized large-scale rallies in several streets of the UAE in protest against decisions made by the Bangladeshi state.”
” This led to riots, upheaval of public safety, barrier of law protection, and destruction of public and private property”, it said. ” The policeman had warned the protesters, ordering them to evacuate, to which they were unresponsive”.
The plaintiffs ‘ attorneys were denied and the judge ordered that they be deported after serving their statements, according to Wam.
There was no immediate opinion from Bangladesh’s state. However, its Dubai embassy in a Sunday social media post urged local residents to abide by local laws.
Earlier this month, a court in the UAE handed life sentences to 43 human rights defenders and political dissidents who were convicted of “creating a terrorist organisation”.
The large demo faced harsh criticism from human rights organizations, who claimed the group had been an “independent lobbying group.”