Three Bangladeshi nationals given life in prison, 54 to be deported from UAE

Three Bangladeshis have been given a life sentence and 54 others have been given jail time followed by deportation, over riots and protests in the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal convicted the defendants for gathering and inciting riots in several streets in the UAE on Friday in protests against the Bangladesh government. 

On Friday, Chancellor Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE Attorney-General, had ordered an immediate investigation into the arrested Bangladeshi nationals for unlawful assembly and inciting riots in several streets across the UAE.

The defendants were brought to trial after an investigation led by a team of 30 investigators confirmed their involvement in gathering in public, inciting unrest, disrupting public security, and promoting such gatherings and protests, including recording and disseminating audiovisual footage of these actions online. Several of the defendants confessed to the crimes with which they were accused.

The court heard a witness who confirmed that the defendants gathered and organised large-scale marches in several streets of the UAE in protest against decisions made by the Bangladeshi government. This led to riots, disruption of public security, obstruction of law enforcement, and endangerment of public and private property.

3 life imprisonment, 54 deportation sentences issued by Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court against Bangladeshi nationals for 'unlawful assembly'#WamNews https://t.co/LJFjDuJKhB pic.twitter.com/c1mofC7Fan

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) July 22, 2024

The police had warned the protesters, ordering them to disperse, to which they were unresponsive.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on Sunday sentenced 57 Bangladeshi nationals after they gathered and incited riots in several streets across the UAE on Friday.

The court sentenced three defendants to life imprisonment for calling for and inciting demonstrations to pressure their home government. Another 53 defendants received ten-year prison terms, while one defendant, who entered the country illegally and participated in the gathering, was sentenced to eleven years.

The court also sentenced them to deportation at the end of their jail term and ordered the confiscation of the seized devices.