Abu Dhabi: The Federal Court of Appeals in Abu Dhabi has sentenced 57 Bangladeshi nationals for protesting against their home government in several streets across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday, July 19.
On Monday, July 22, the court sentenced three of the accused to life imprisonment for calling for protests and inciting riots to pressure their government.
Another 53 defendants received 10-year prison terms, with one, who entered the country illegally and participated in the riot, serving an additional 11 years, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The court also ordered their deportation at the conclusion of their prison terms and the confiscation of all seized devices.
On Friday, Bangladeshi nationals were arrested for inciting protests in the UAE, disrupting transportation, and destroying public and private property. They recorded and published audiovisual footage of their actions online.
This comes in the wake of recent mass protests in Bangladesh over government job quotas, leading to clashes with police and a mounting death toll.
During the trial, the public prosecution in the UAE demanded the maximum penalty for the accused.
On Saturday, July 20, the UAE Attorney-General, Chancellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, ordered an immediate investigation and referred the suspects to an “urgent trial.”