Staff Reporter:
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul has said that most Bangladeshis detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the July Uprising have already returned home, and the remaining 24 expatriates still in jail are expected to be released soon.
He shared the update in a Facebook post on Friday, noting that 188 detainees had already been repatriated, while the last group of 24 prisoners will be freed shortly.
“Our efforts under the leadership of the chief adviser have finally borne fruit. The remaining 24 Bangladeshis imprisoned for participating in the July uprising in the UAE are going to be released soon,” Nazrul wrote.
He thanked officials from the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bangladesh Embassy in the UAE for their cooperation.
Nazrul added that the earlier release of 188 detainees last September had also been made possible due to the direct intervention of the chief adviser.
During the July uprising, 57 Bangladeshis were arrested in the first wave of detentions. A UAE court later sentenced three of them to life imprisonment, 53 to 10 years, and one person to 11 years.
On 28 August last year, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus spoke by phone with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and requested clemency for the imprisoned Bangladeshis.
The UAE government responded positively, leading to the gradual release and repatriation of the detainees starting in early September.
To support their reintegration, the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board under the expatriates’ welfare ministry has been assisting the returnees.
So far, 186 workers have received financial grants of Tk50,000 each as part of rehabilitation efforts.
