24 July wariors to be freed from UAE
Staff Reporter :
The long waiting of the family members for the 24 incarcerated Bangladeshis in the prison of United Arab Emirates (UAE) who protested there during July uprising is going to be ended soon.
Adviser to the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Asif Nazrul on Friday said that they would return home soon after their release.
The UAE government sentenced these people for orchestrating street movement in support of July uprising there last year. Their release is now
imminent, clearing the way for their return home.
Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, announced the development on Friday on his Facebook page.
In the post, he said, “The final group of detainees held for taking part in the July uprising would be freed soon, and that the process was already moving quickly.”
He wrote that efforts led by the Chief Adviser had “finally borne fruit,” adding that the decision marks the end of a protracted chapter for the workers and their families.
He also thanked officials from the Expatriate Welfare Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bangladesh Embassy in the UAE for their roles in securing the releases.
Nazrul noted that this follows an earlier breakthrough in September last year, when 188 detained Bangladeshis were freed after direct intervention by the Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
The unrest in the UAE had initially led to harsh sentences. Of the first 57 workers arrested, three were given life sentences, 53 received 10-year terms, and one was sentenced to 11 years.
The situation shifted after a phone conversation on 28 August last year between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During that call, Bangladesh requested a pardon for the convicted workers. The UAE President responded positively, granting pardons on 3 September.
The workers were then deported to Bangladesh, with a clear reminder to adhere to UAE laws while working in the country. Many of those freed began returning home in the first week of September.
The Human Rights Watch on July 19 stated that groups of mostly Bangladeshi citizens who live in the UAE carried out peaceful solidarity protests in multiple locations across the country to stand with student protesters in Bangladesh.
With the impending release of the remaining 24 detainees, Bangladesh is now preparing to welcome back the final group affected by the episode, bringing the long and painful wait for their families to an end.