The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has pardoned 25 Bangladeshi citizens who were convicted of staging demonstrations in the UAE during the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s ambassador to the UAE, Tareq Ahmed, confirmed that all 25 individuals have since been repatriated following a formal request from Dhaka.
The Bangladeshis had been detained at different times across the UAE for participating in protests linked to political developments back home. Public demonstrations are extremely rare in the UAE, where political activism is tightly regulated.
In a statement, the UAE embassy described the move as a humanitarian gesture reflecting the leadership’s commitment to compassion, tolerance and justice, as well as the “deep-rooted and brotherly relations” between the two countries.
The statement also noted that Sheikh Mohamed had previously granted pardons to Bangladeshi expatriates on several occasions, including those serving sentences for organising protests—highlighting what it called the UAE’s consistent humanitarian approach.
Bangladeshi officials say the latest pardon followed direct appeals from the country’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who took office after last year’s political upheaval.
According to officials familiar with the matter, Yunus raised the issue in diplomatic communications, stressing the humanitarian dimension of the case and the families affected by the detentions.
Millions of Bangladeshis live and work in the Gulf, including more than 700,000 in the UAE, where remittances play a vital role in Bangladesh’s economy.
The demonstrations in question were linked to the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh, which saw widespread protests against the previous government. Images of unrest circulated widely among the Bangladeshi diaspora, prompting solidarity gatherings in several countries.
However, public protests are uncommon in the UAE, and those involved were arrested under local laws governing public assembly.
Rights groups and Bangladeshi community organisations had earlier appealed for clemency, arguing that the protests were peaceful and motivated by emotional ties to events back home.
