A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has handed 57 Bangladeshis long prison terms for holding protests in the Gulf state against their own country’s government.
The state-run Wam news agency reported that three of the defendants were given life sentences for “stirring up riots in various streets across the UAE on Friday”.
Meanwhile, 53 individuals were sentenced to 10 years in prison, and one received an 11-year term.
It quoted their court-appointed defence lawyer, who argued during Sunday’s trial that the gatherings were not criminal in nature and that the evidence presented was inadequate.
In the UAE, where nearly 90% of the population consists of foreigners, protests are essentially prohibited.
Bangladeshis are the third-largest expatriate group in the country.
More than 150 people have died and 500 have been arrested in Bangladesh amid days of unrest sparked by student-led demonstrations opposing government job quotas.
The turmoil is one of the most severe challenges Sheikh Hasina has faced in her 15-year tenure as prime minister.
Wam reported that the trial of the 57 Bangladeshis disclosed that they had “arranged extensive marches through several streets of the UAE in opposition to actions taken by the Bangladeshi government”.
“This resulted in riots, disruptions to public security, interference with law enforcement, and threats to both public and private property,” it stated.
“The police had issued warnings to the protesters to disperse, but they did not comply.”
The court denied the defendants’ defence and mandated their deportation upon fulfillment of their sentences, Wam reported.
While the Bangladeshi government had no instantaneous comment, its consulate in Dubai encouraged citizens via social media to heed local laws.
A UAE court recently sentenced 43 human rights advocates and political activists to life imprisonment, convicting them of “founding a terrorist organisation.”
The verdict follows a lengthy trial and has sparked international concern about the treatment of dissenters in the country.
Human rights organisations have sharply criticised the mass trial, arguing that the group in question was an “independent advocacy organisation” rather than a terrorist entity.
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