Image caption: Foreigners make up about 90% of the population in the UAE, where protests are effectively illegal. Article information Author: David Gritten Post: BBC News
7 minutes ago
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced 57 Bangladeshis to long prison terms for protesting against their government in the Gulf state.
Three of the defendants, whose names were not released, were given life sentences for “inciting riots on several streets across the UAE on Friday”, while 53 others were given 10-year sentences and one was given an 11-year prison term, the state-run Wam news agency reported.
During the trial on Sunday, court-appointed defense lawyers argued that the rally had no criminal intent and that there was insufficient evidence, the court reported.
Protests are effectively illegal in the UAE, where foreigners make up almost 90 percent of the population. Bangladeshis are the third largest expatriate group.
Image caption: Anti-government protests have spread across Bangladesh over the past week
The unrest is one of the most serious challenges Sheikh Hasina has faced in her 15 consecutive years as the country’s prime minister.
Wam said the trial of the 57 Bangladeshis heard they “organised large-scale demonstrations on several streets in the UAE in protest against the Bangladeshi government’s decision”.
“This has resulted in rioting, disturbance of the peace, obstruction of law enforcement and endangerment of public and private property,” the statement said. “Police warned the protesters and ordered them to disperse, but the protesters did not respond.”
Wham said the court rejected the defendants’ defence and ordered them to be deported after serving their sentences.
There was no immediate comment from the Bangladeshi government, but the country’s consulate in Dubai urged its citizens to respect local laws in a social media post on Sunday.
Human rights groups have sharply criticised the massive trial, saying the organisation was an “independent advocacy group”.