DOT Desk: The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment has said it has not yet received any official information about the suspension of visas for Bangladeshi citizens, reports Dhaka Tribune.
Ruhul Amin, secretary of the ministry, told Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday that Bangladesh is trying to establish communication with the relevant UAE ministry.
The UAE imprisoned 57 Bangladeshi nationals who had defied the country’s laws and rioted last Friday. Demonstrations and protests are strictly prohibited under the UAE Penal Code. On Monday, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal issued three life sentences. Additionally, 53 others were sentenced to 10 years in prison, and one person received an 11-year prison term, according to UAE media reports. The report said the expatriate Bangladeshis protested against the Bangladesh government, in support of the quota reform movement, on various roads in the UAE.
Those convicted will be deported to Bangladesh at the end of their sentences, according to Emirati news agency WAM. However, a day after the verdict, UAE authorities reportedly announced a temporary suspension of visas for Bangladeshis.
. Regarding the visa suspension, State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Shofiqur Rahman Chowdhury on Wednesday told journalists: “Upon receiving news of the visa suspension, the ministry immediately contacted the ambassador of the UAE in Bangladesh. The United Arab Emirates has not officially announced anything about suspending visas for Bangladeshis.”

The state minister said that by protesting in Dubai, expatriates defied the law and spoiled the image of Bangladesh abroad.

According to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, more than 1.5 million Bangladeshis have gone to the UAE since 2021.

Bangladesh Bank data says the UAE ranked third in terms of remittances sent to Bangladesh in the 2020-21 fiscal year. The amount of remittances sent by Bangladeshis to the UAE in that year was $2.44 billion.

In the 2021-22 fiscal year, the amount of remittances from the country decreased to $2.07 billion. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, the amount rose to $3.03 billion.

Within the first nine months of the current fiscal year (July-March), remittances from the UAE were $3.28 billion.

Human Rights Watch protested the UAE’s decision and said in a statement on Thursday: “Emirati authorities arbitrarily detained, convicted, and sentenced to long prison terms 57 Bangladeshi protesters following a rapid trial based on their participation in peaceful demonstrations in the UAE.”

The sentences, ranging from 10 years to life in prison, followed abusively fast judicial proceedings that raise serious concerns about fairness and due process, it said.