United Arab Emirates.57 Bangladeshi citizens sentenced to prison for protests against their government

57 Bangladeshi citizens protested against their government in the United Arab Emirates.A court sentenced them to prison.

• In Bangladesh, protests against the government have continued for weeks and there have already been over 150 deaths.
• The protests have also spread outside the borders, such as in the United Arab Emirates, where many Bangladeshis live.
• Protesting in the streets is prohibited in the Emirates and for this reason 57 Bangladeshi citizens were sentenced to prison.

57 citizens of Bangladesh were sentenced to prison, three even tolife sentence, for taking part in protests against their government in United Arab Emirates.

Profounds have been underway in Bangladesh for a few weeks anti-government protestsAnd which were repressed by force, with over 160 deaths.Some Bangladeshi citizens have also taken to the streets against their government in other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates.Where, however, there is no right of demonstration.That's why a court of Abu Dhabi sentenced those who took part in the mobilization to prison.

Repression in the United Arab Emirates

“Incitement to riots”.Here is what is written in the sentence of a court in the United Arab Emirates, with which 57 Bangladeshi citizens were sentenced to prison.53 of them were imprisoned for ten years, one for eleven, three others even atlife sentence.

The 57 are accused of organizing marches and demonstrations in the country to protest against decisions taken by the Bangladesh government.In the United Arab Emirates, where the 90 percent of the population is foreign and the Bangladeshis constitute the third largest foreign group numerically, the protests are not considered a right and the repression it is very strong for those who circumvent the ban.Convicted Bangladeshi citizens will be transferred to their country of origin.

“The extreme reaction to a public protest on Emirati soil demonstrates that the state places high priority on repressing any demonstration of dissent in the country,” he reported Devin Kenney, Amnesty International researcher for the United Arab Emirates.This is the second episode in the space of a few days, given that they had been arrested in the country on 10 July 43 political dissidents and activists for human rights.

Repression in Bangladesh

Meanwhile, the situation in Bangladesh is becoming increasingly difficult.The number of deaths, caused by the repression of anti-government protests, has exceeded the quota 160 and there are too over 500 people arrested.

The problem has arisen after a ruling by Supreme Court, which confirmed a High Court ruling that reinstated the system of quotas in hiring in the public administration, abolished in 2018 following previous student protests.Bangladesh's quota system reserves a share of public sector jobs for relatives of veterans of the 1971 War of Independence.Protesters consider this quota a barrier to hiring based on merit.

The authorities have deployed the army, ordered the internet block and telecommunications and the closure of schools and universities, where the protests started.The leaders of the demonstrators have issued an ultimatum to the government to put an end to these forms of repression and abolish the quota law, otherwise the riots, which now involve thousands of citizens, will move forward even more extensively.

The Supreme Court actually has already reduced drastically the share of jobs reserved for relatives of veterans, which was above 30 percent and has now dropped to 5 percent.But for the protesters in Bangladesh, a country where poverty and unemployment are rampant especially among the younger generations, it is not enough.