14 Bangladeshis pardoned by UAE president return home

The first group of 14 Bangladeshi migrants who were granted pardon by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have returned home today (7 September).

Twelve of them landed at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram on two separate Air Arabia flights, the airport's Public Relations Officer Md Ibrahim Khalil confirmed the matter.

Among them, one came through a flight from Sharjah at 8:10pm while eleven others who boarded a flight from Abu Dhabi reached at 8:37pm.

Meanwhile, two of the returnees landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on another flight, according to Shariful Hasan, head of Brac Migration Program.

However, 43 of them have yet to arrive in Bangladesh.

Earlier today, the Chief Adviser's Office said 14 of them were likely to reach Bangladesh by tonight.

Earlier on 3 September, 57 Bangladeshis who were previously convicted by the UAE Federal Court were granted pardon by the UAE president.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus later said they would be deported to Bangladesh soon.

At a meeting, Dr Yunus said Bangladesh had approached the UAE authorities requesting them to release the imprisoned Bangladeshis for staging the protest. Bangladesh told the UAE that their protests were not staged against the Emirates government, but against the authorities in Bangladesh.

In line with the top directive, Chancellor Dr Hamad Al Shamsi, UAE attorney general, has issued an order to halt the implementation of the sentences and commence deportation procedures.

The attorney general also called on all residents of the UAE to respect the country's laws, stressing that the right to express opinions is protected by the state and its legal framework, according to Gulf News.

He highlighted that the state provides lawful means for expressing views, ensuring this right does not turn into actions that could harm the interests of the nation and its people.

On 22 July, the official Emirati news agency WAM said three Bangladeshi expatriates were sentenced to life, 53 others to 10 years in prison and one to 11 years for participating in alleged protests.

The defendants had "gathered and incited riots in several streets across the UAE on Friday [19 July]," WAM said, adding they would be deported after the completion of their prison terms. The charges follow a swift investigation that was ordered on Friday, according to WAM.

The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, is populated mostly by expatriates, many of them south Asians who work as labourers.

Bangladeshis form the third largest expatriate group in the UAE, after Pakistanis and Indians, according to the UAE foreign ministry.

The oil-rich Gulf state bans unauthorised protests and prohibits criticism of rulers or speech that is deemed to create or encourage social unrest.

Defamation, as well as verbal and written insults, whether published or made in private, are punishable by law. The country's penal code also criminalises offending foreign states or jeopardising ties with them.