July Uprising Protests: UAE Grants Pardon to 25 Convicted Bangladeshis

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has granted clemency to 25 Bangladeshi nationals previously convicted in the country.

The pardon followed a request from Bangladesh seeking mercy for its citizens arrested in the UAE over incidents linked to the July 2024 mass uprising, the UAE Embassy in Dhaka said in a press release on Sunday.

All 25 individuals, who had been sentenced by UAE courts, have been pardoned and have since returned to Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi expatriates were detained at different times in the UAE during the period of the July uprising in Bangladesh.

The embassy said the humanitarian gesture reflects the UAE leadership’s commitment to compassion, tolerance and justice, and highlights the deep-rooted, brotherly ties between the United Arab Emirates and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

It added that the UAE president has on several occasions previously pardoned Bangladeshi expatriates serving sentences for staging rare protests in the country, further demonstrating the UAE’s humanitarian approach.