Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has said that the remaining Bangladeshis detained in the UAE in connection with the July Uprising are expected to be released soon

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul has announced that most Bangladeshis detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the July Uprising have already returned home, and the remaining 24 still in custody are expected to be freed soon.

In a Facebook post on Friday, he said 188 detainees had already been repatriated and that the last group of 24 prisoners would be released shortly.

“Our efforts under the leadership of the chief adviser have finally paid off. The remaining 24 Bangladeshis jailed over the July uprising in the UAE are going to be released soon,” Nazrul wrote.

He expressed gratitude to officials from the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bangladesh Embassy in the UAE for their support.

Nazrul noted that the earlier release of 188 detainees last September was also made possible through the direct intervention of the chief adviser.

During the July uprising, 57 Bangladeshis were arrested in the initial crackdown. A UAE court later handed life sentences to three of them, 10-year terms to 53 others, and an 11-year term to one individual.

On 28 August last year, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus held a phone conversation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, seeking clemency for the detained Bangladeshis.

The UAE authorities responded positively, paving the way for their phased release and repatriation beginning in early September.

To help them rebuild their lives, the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board under the expatriates’ welfare ministry has been providing support. So far, 186 returnees have received Tk50,000 each as part of rehabilitation assistance.