UAE pardons 75 more Bangladeshis jailed over protests

This brings the total number of released to 188

The United Arab Emirates has pardoned an additional 75 Bangladeshi nationals detained for holding protests in solidarity with the July-August uprising in Bangladesh.

The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment shared the development in a press release on Friday.

This follows an earlier release of 57 Bangladeshi nationals on Sept 3, bringing the total number of those released to 188.

The ministry’s spokesperson Shefayet Hossain said while 57 individuals were pardoned in the first round and another 75 on Friday, no timeline has been provided for the release of the remaining detainees.

The statement said these people were detained for participating in marches and protests in the UAE against the killings and oppression in Bangladesh during the student-led quota reform movement.

On the evening of Jul 20, the UAE police detained 57 Bangladeshis during protests on streets in different areas of Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman.

Two days later, local courts sentenced three of them to life imprisonment, one to 11 years, and the remaining 53 to 10 years each on charges including rioting, obstructing communications, and causing property damage.

The UAE government also announced an indefinite suspension of visa services for Bangladeshi nationals.

On Aug 11, Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain said discussions would be held with senior UAE officials about the release of detained Bangladeshis.