A court in the UAE has sentenced 57 Bangladeshis to lengthy prison terms for protesting against their government in the Gulf state. Three defendants received life imprisonment for inciting riots, while 53 others were jailed for 10 years and one for 11 years. The court-appointed defense lawyer argued that the gatherings had no criminal intent and lacked sufficient evidence.
Protests are essentially illegal in the UAE, where foreigners make up the majority of the population. Bangladeshis form the third largest expatriate group in the country. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, violent clashes erupted during student-led demonstrations against government job quotas, resulting in over 150 deaths and 500 arrests.
The trial highlighted that the Bangladeshis organized marches in the UAE to oppose decisions by their government, leading to public security disruptions and property damage. The court dismissed the defendants’ claims and ordered deportation post-sentence completion.
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