A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has jailed 57 Bangladeshi nationals for staging protests in the Gulf country against their own government, according to the state media.
Three Bangladeshis were sentenced to life, 53 others to 10 years in prison and one to 11 years for “gathering and inciting riots” during protests on Friday, the official Emirati news agency WAM said on Monday, adding they would be deported after the completion of their prison terms.
A witness confirmed that the defendants organised large-scale marches in several streets of the UAE “in protest against decisions made by the Bangladeshi government”, it added.
Unauthorised protests are prohibited in the UAE. Bangladeshis make up about one-third of the population of the United Arab Emirates