25 Bangladeshis still jailed in UAE
Staff Reporter :
The Interim Government has renewed diplomatic and legal efforts to secure the release of 25 Bangladeshis still imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), more than a year after they were arrested for expressing solidarity with the student-led uprising here.
In an official statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said the government is “actively engaged in diplomatic communications” with the UAE to ensure the remaining detainees are freed and repatriated. These men have been held in Abu Dhabi since July last year when they joined peaceful gatherings among migrant workers showing support for the pro-democracy protests in Bangladesh.
UAE authorities treated the gatherings as violations of public order and detained hundreds, accusing some of involvement in activities harmful to state security.
The foreign ministry’s latest communication reveals that the Bangladesh Embassy in Abu Dhabi began working on the cases of the remaining detainees on 22 April this year, submitting a list of their names to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a request for consular access.
Ambassador to the UAE Tariq Ahmed raised the matter during formal and informal meetings with senior UAE officials in May.
He referred to the earlier release of 188 detainees as evidence of humanitarian goodwill between the two countries and requested similar consideration for the remaining prisoners.
When visible progress did not follow, the embassy issued another diplomatic note on 1 July, again requesting updated information and formal access to the detainees.
On 8 July, the embassy appointed a UAE-based legal firm, Hamdan Al Kabi Advocates, to represent the detainees in court. The firm was instructed to take necessary legal measures to secure their release as rapidly as possible.
However, the firm later informed the embassy that many of the detainees are now under investigation in state security-related cases, which are handled under strict and lengthy legal protocols in the UAE. The embassy was told the process would take additional time and require clearance from higher state authorities.
During a diplomatic meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 7 August, Ambassador Tariq Ahmed submitted hard copies of case files, communication records and identity documents of the 25 detainees.
The embassy argued that the detainees were migrant workers who posed no threat to UAE national security and had simply been caught in a political situation linked to events in their home country.
On 21 September, Dr Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, sent a formal appeal letter to UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, requesting his intervention to speed up the release process.
The letter emphasised that the detainees had already spent over a year in prison without trial, which has led to immense emotional hardship for their families in Bangladesh.
Following this appeal, the UAE Foreign Ministry contacted the Bangladesh Embassy on 22 September asking for passport copies and visa details for all 25 detainees.
The embassy completed the documentation within a week and submitted it on 30 September through a diplomatic note, signaling renewed movement in the process.
Meanwhile, the family members of the 25 detainees have urged the interim government to intervene into the matter for their release. Their families say they are losing hope as the process drags on without resolution.