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United Arab Emirates

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

July 2024

Court sentences 57 Bangladeshis for protesting against Bangladesh Government

On 22 July, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced 57 Bangladeshi nationals to long prison terms on charges of unlawful assembly and over inciting riots against the Bangladesh government, despite the protest not being directed at the UAE. Three received life sentences, 53 were sentenced to 10 years, and one received 11 years for an additional crime of illegal entry. The sentences followed protests in the UAE held in solidarity with ongoing demonstrations in Bangladesh against the Bangladeshi government's civil service employment quota system. The Abu Dhabi court ordered the deportation of all individuals after serving their sentences. Bangladeshi nationals are the third-largest group of the UAE’s migrant population, which accounts for 90 per cent of the total. Unauthorized protests are prohibited in the UAE.

Sources: Emirates News Agency, Al Jazeera, BBC, International IDEA

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023

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Representation
154/173
Rights
123/173
Rule of Law
46/173
Participation
149/173
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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
9 441 129
System of government
Federation Of Monarchies
Head of government
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (since 2006)
Head of government party
Not applicable
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
No direct elections
Women in lower or single chamber
50.0%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Head of state
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
08/05/2023
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
61.30%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
No Action
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
No Action
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
No Action
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
No Action
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Arab Charter on Human Rights
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
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Representation neutral Rights
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
Apr 2024
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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