UAE Jails Bangladesh Nationals Over Protests Against Their Home Gov't

Facts

• Emirati state media reported on Monday that the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced 57 Bangladesh expatriates to prison over protests held in the United Arab Emirates against the Bangladeshi government.¹
• Three defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while 53 others were handed 10-year prison terms and deportation, and another was sentenced to 11 years in jail and deportation.²
• This comes as an investigation team found they were involved in unlawful public gatherings and marches on Friday, with several of those accused confessing to crimes such as inciting unrest.³
• This was the second swift mass trial in the UAE this month, with 43 human rights advocates and political dissidents sentenced to life imprisonment two weeks ago for 'creating a terrorist organization.'⁴
• The demonstrations on Friday were in solidarity with mass student protests in Bangladesh over government job quotas, which have reportedly so far resulted in over 170 deaths and 2.5K arrests as of Tuesday.⁵
• The quota system, whose reinstatement last month triggered unrest, would reserve more than half of those jobs for the descendants of those who fought the 1971 war of independence. On Sunday, Bangladesh's top court scaled it back.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Voice of America, ³WAM, ⁴BBC News, ⁵France 24 and ⁶Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Khaleej Times. More than a million hard-working Bangladesh nationals live peacefully in the UAE, abiding by the country's sovereign laws and regulations. So, it's a matter of respect for them to punish the non-resident individuals of the same nationality who commit unlawful acts, including inciting unauthorized public gatherings and protests.
• Narrative B, as provided by Middle East Eye. Though appalling, the harshness of these sentences isn't exactly surprising given that the UAE has long had a notable problem with freedom of expression. The one thing that pops out and shows the autocratic nature of the country is how quick its authorities are to crack down on any kind of speech even if the matter has no significance for their country.

Predictions