ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal has convicted 57 Bangladeshi nationals for protesting against their government on several streets across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday, July 19.
On Monday, July 22, a court sentenced the three defendants to life imprisonment for calling for protests and inciting riots to pressure the government.
The other 53 defendants were given 10-year sentences, while one man who entered the country illegally and took part in the riots received an additional 11 years, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The court also ordered that they be deported upon completion of their sentences and that all seized equipment be forfeited.
Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in the UAE on Friday for inciting protests, disrupting traffic and destroying public and private property. They recorded their actions and posted them online.
This comes after recent mass protests in Bangladesh over government job quotas led to clashes with police and a rise in deaths.
During the trial, the UAE prosecutor sought the maximum sentence for the defendants.
On Saturday, July 20, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered an immediate investigation and referred the suspects to an “expedited trial”.