United Arab Emirates orders trial of Bangladeshi citizens arrested for protesting against their home government

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have ordered an investigation and expedited trial of Bangladeshi nationals arrested for protesting against their Home Government throughout the Gulf state, state media reported.

The protests in the United Arab Emirates followed weeks of protests in Bangladesh, where demonstrators protested against a quota system that reserved up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who served in Bangladesh’s War of Independence 1971The country’s highest court on Sunday reduced about the controversial system, which represents a partial victory for the protesting students.

The Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates filed charges against the Bangladeshis on Saturday. Among other things, they are said to have “gathered in a public place and protested against the government of their home country with the intention of inciting unrest,” obstructing law enforcement, injuring others and damaging property, reported the state news agency WAM.

“Based on the preliminary investigation results, the public prosecutor’s office has ordered pre-trial detention pending the completion of further investigations,” WAM reported.

The report did not say how many Bangladeshis were arrested.

Bangladeshi nationals make up the UAE’s third-largest expatriate community. Many of them are low-paid workers who want to send money to their families back home. Of the Emirates’ total population of more than 9.2 million people, only 10% are Emiratis.

In the United Arab Emirates, a union of seven sheikhdoms, political parties and trade unions are banned. Freedom of expression is severely restricted by comprehensive laws and almost all major local media are either state-owned or close to the state.