DUBAI – A United Arab Emirates court has sentenced 57 Bangladeshi expatriates to lengthy prison terms for protesting against the government in the Gulf state, where demonstrations are banned, state media reported on Monday. Protests have raged in Bangladesh this month against a civil service quota system that critics say favours supporters of authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Near-daily protests in Bangladesh turned violent last week, leaving 163 people dead. More than 500 people, including opposition leaders, have been arrested. Three Bangladeshi expatriates were sentenced to life imprisonment, 53 to 10 years and one to 11 years for taking part in the protests, UAE state news agency WAM said on Monday. The defendants “incited riots by staging rallies on several streets across the UAE on Friday,” WAM said, adding that they would be deported after serving their sentences. The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal’s ruling came on Sunday after a fast-track investigation ordered on Friday, WAM news agency quoted witnesses as saying that “the defendants had organised large-scale demonstrations on several streets in the UAE to protest against the Bangladesh government’s decision.”