DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Greater than 170 international leaders and Nobel laureates have urged Bangladesh’s prime minister to droop authorized proceedings in opposition to Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering the usage of microcredit to assist impoverished folks.
In an open letter, the leaders, together with former U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.N. Secretary-Basic Ban Ki-moon and greater than 100 Nobel laureates, stated they had been deeply involved by latest threats to democracy and human rights in Bangladesh.
“One of many threats to human rights that considerations us within the current context is the case of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. We’re alarmed that he has not too long ago been focused by what we imagine to be steady judicial harassment,” stated the letter, dated Tuesday.
“We’re assured that any thorough overview of the anti-corruption and labor regulation instances in opposition to him will end in his acquittal,” it stated.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina responded by saying she would welcome worldwide consultants and legal professionals to come back to Bangladesh to evaluate the authorized proceedings and look at paperwork involving the fees in opposition to Yunus.
“In the event that they ship the consultants and legal professionals, many extra issues will get revealed, which stay untouched. Many such issues will come out,” Hasina stated.
In 1983, Yunus based Grameen Financial institution, which provides small loans to entrepreneurs who wouldn’t usually qualify for financial institution loans. The financial institution’s success in lifting folks out of poverty led to comparable microfinancing efforts in lots of different nations.
Hasina’s administration started a collection of investigations of Yunus after coming to energy in 2008. She grew to become enraged when Yunus introduced he would type a political celebration in 2007 when the nation was run by a military-backed authorities and she or he was in jail, though he didn’t observe via on the plan.
Yunus has additionally criticized politicians within the nation, saying they’re solely excited about cash. Hasina referred to as him a “bloodsucker” and accused him of utilizing power and different means to get well loans from poor rural ladies as head of Grameen Financial institution.
Hasina’s authorities started a overview of the financial institution’s actions in 2011, and Yunus was fired as managing director for allegedly violating authorities retirement rules. He was placed on trial in 2013 on fees of receiving cash with out authorities permission, together with his Nobel Prize award and royalties from a e book.
He later faced more charges involving different corporations he created, together with Grameen Telecom, which is a part of the nation’s largest cell phone firm, GrameenPhone, a subsidiary of Norwegian telecom large Telenor.
Earlier this month, 18 former Grameen Telecom employees filed a case in opposition to Yunus accusing him of siphoning off their job advantages. Protection legal professionals referred to as the case harassment and vowed to battle the allegations.
Individually, Yunus went on trial on Aug. 22 on fees of violating labor legal guidelines. The Division of Inspection for Factories and Institutions introduced the case in opposition to Yunus and three different folks in 2021, alleging discrepancies throughout an inspection of Grameen Telecom, together with a failure to regularize positions for 101 employees members and to ascertain a employees’ welfare fund.
Yunus and 13 others had been additionally named in a case introduced by the Anti-Corruption Fee accusing them of embezzling funds from Grameen Telecom.
Of their letter, the worldwide figures additionally urged that Bangladesh’s upcoming elections, anticipated to be held by early January, be credible.
Hasina stated the elections can be free and truthful.
The principle opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering led by Zia has alleged that the elections will probably be rigged and threatened to boycott the voting if Hasina doesn’t step down and hand over energy to a caretaker authorities to supervise the balloting. Hasina has rejected the demand.