Dubai: The apex court of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) upheld death penalty to three Bangladeshi immigrants rejecting their appeal for commuting sentence for killing a man.

A Dubai-based newspaper reported the news on Thursday.  Three men are to be put to death for murdering a Sharjah resident who had helped a sex worker escape their clutches.

The Bangladeshi murder victim was known for assisting runaway housemaids and prostitutes. The court heard his attackers were furious with him because he intervened as they were taking a prostitute to their home.

The UAE Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down the killers’ final appeals to have their convictions and death sentences overturned after concluding that there was strong evidence linking each of them to the brutal beating and strangulation of the man.

Police said in official records the men had admitted during interrogation that they were furious he helped the prostitute. One defendant also admitted to police that he grabbed the victim from behind and he and the second defendant tied his legs and feet together before the third man killed him. A post mortem showed the attack victim had been beaten with a pipe before he was strangled with a rope.

The three men, who are also Bangladeshi, carried out the attack at the victim’s house in the Umm Khanoor area of Sharjah.

Reviewing the evidence, the court said that it was right to try the men under Sharia law. In the judge’s ruling it was recorded that the attack was a “premeditated and brutal crime”.

The court also threw out a claim that the men did not have adequate translation from Arabic into Bangla while they were being questioned by police. The court said there was a signed statement from a translator that showed they received help.

But another report said the convicted Bangladeshi nationals murdered a man in 2009 for not paying 100 UAE Dirhams that was taken from them as loan. 

Emirates Federal Supreme Court said the copy of the verdict was sent to the president of the country for approval of death penalty.

The court said the capital punishment will be executed as per existing law of the UAE.

Details identity of the convicted could not be disclosed.

Generally, the UAE executes death penalty awarded convicts in firing squad.

Ends/AMA/29/11/12