United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned 57 locally based Bangladeshi nationals who were convicted in July after staging a protest, UAE news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed “has ordered a pardon for the Bangladeshi nationals involved in last month’s protests and disturbances across several emirates,” the statement said.
“The decision includes cancelling the sentences of those convicted and arranging for their deportation.”
The UAE attorney-general has issued an order to halt the implementation of the sentences and commence deportation procedures, WAM said.
The attorney-general also called on all residents of the UAE to respect the country’s laws, stressing that the right to express opinions is protected by the state and its legal framework.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced 57 Bangladeshi citizens in an expedited trial in July after they had protested against the then-prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and her government amid protests in Bangladesh.
Three Bangladeshi citizens had been sentenced to life in prison, while 53 were sentenced to 10 years in prison. One Bangladeshi, who state media said had entered the UAE illegally and “participated in the riot”, was sentenced to 11 years.
