Prison to Bangladeshi Nationals: A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced 57 Bangladeshis to imprisonment for protesting against their country’s government, state media reported. According to state news agency WAM, the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court on Sunday sentenced 53 Bangladeshis to 10 years each, three to life imprisonment and one Bangladeshi to 11 years in prison.
The court has also ordered the deportation of these Bangladeshis from the country after completion of their sentence. WAM reported, ‘The court heard witnesses who confirmed that the accused gathered in large numbers and took out a huge procession on several streets of the UAE against the decision of the Bangladesh government.’
UAE authorities on Saturday ordered investigations against the arrested Bangladeshis and speeding up the trial of their cases. Forming political parties or trade unions is prohibited in the UAE and the law largely restricts freedom of expression. The Bangladesh government had made a provision of reservation of up to 30 percent in government jobs for the relatives of the members of the Mukti Bahini in the 1971 Liberation War, against which protests were also held in the UAE after several days of violent protests in the South Asian country.
Indian students had returned home
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh on Sunday reduced the reservation limit to seven percent, which is being considered a partial victory for the protesters. More than 4,500 Indian students have returned home amid violent clashes in Bangladesh. More than 100 people have been killed in these clashes. The Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday that 500 students from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan and one from Maldives have also reached India. The ministry said that the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh is in constant touch with the local authorities for the safety of Indian citizens.
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