The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sentenced 57 Bangladeshi individuals to lengthy prison terms for participating in protests against their own government’s policies.

According to state media reports, three of the unnamed defendants received life sentences for “inciting riots in several streets across the UAE on Friday”.

Additionally, 53 others were sentenced to 10 years in prison, and one person received an 11-year sentence.

The defense lawyer argued during the trial on Sunday that the gatherings were not intended to be criminal in nature, and that the evidence presented was insufficient to convict the protesters. However, the UAE court upheld the harsh sentences.

Amnesty International condemned the UAE’s “extreme reaction” to the mere existence of a public protest on its territory, suggesting that the punishments were disproportionate and an overreaction by the authorities.

Protests are effectively prohibited in the United Arab Emirates, where foreign nationals make up nearly 90% of the population. Bangladeshis represent the third largest expatriate group within the UAE.

Meanwhile, in Bangladesh itself, the country has experienced over 150 deaths and 500 arrests during recent days of unrest sparked by student-led demonstrations. These protests were focused on opposing quotas for government job opportunities.

On Monday, some of the protest leaders in Bangladesh issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government. They are demanding the lifting of a nationwide curfew, the restoration of internet services, and the resignation of officials they hold responsible for the violence used against the demonstrators.

According to the state-run Wam news agency, the trial of the 57 Bangladeshi defendants heard that they had organized “large-scale marches in several streets of the UAE” to protest decisions made by the Bangladeshi government.

The court was told that these protests led to “riots, disruption of public security, obstruction of law enforcement, and endangerment of public and private property”. The police had reportedly warned the protesters to disperse, but they did not comply.

The UAE court ultimately rejected the defendants’ defense arguments and ordered that they be deported after serving their lengthy prison sentences. The Bangladeshi government did not immediately comment on the matter, but its Dubai consulate urged citizens to respect local laws in a social media post.

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Amnesty International’s UAE researcher, Devin Kenney, condemned this as the second mass trial in the UAE this month where dozens of people were sentenced to “huge prison terms literally overnight, on charges involving no element of violence”.

Kenney stated that the UAE’s “extreme reaction to the mere existence of a public protest on Emirati soil shows that the state places great priority on suppressing any manifestation of dissent in the country”.

Earlier in July, a UAE court had also handed life sentences to 43 human rights defenders and political dissidents who were convicted of “creating a terrorist organization”. Human rights groups criticized this trial as a “mockery of justice”, stating that the organization was merely an “independent advocacy group”.