The president of the United Arab Emirates has pardoned the 57 Bangladeshi nationals who were convicted in July for demonstrations against the now-deposed former government of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency reported on Tuesday that President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s decision mandates the deportation of the released individuals to their home country.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced three defendants to life in prison and another 53 people to ten-year sentences for “gathering in a public place and protesting against their home government with the intent to incite unrest.”
The prosecution sentenced another person who allegedly entered the UAE illegally to 11 years for taking part in a “riot.”
Upwards of one million Bangladeshi nationals live in the UAE, making up one of the largest communities of migrant workers in the oil-rich Gulf state. Most work low-wage jobs to send remittances back home and are often subjected to abusive labor practices and poor living conditions.
Last month, student-led protests over a controversial government employment quota swept across Bangladesh, eventually transforming into a successful democratic movement to remove Hasina from power following a violent government crackdown.
The pardons were announced shortly after Sheikh Nahyan congratulated Hasina’s replacement, Muhammad Yunus, on his appointment as the South Asian country’s new interim leader.
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