Desk report :
Out of a growing concern over a likely imprisonment of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, more than 160 global leaders, including more than 100 Nobel Laureates wrote an open letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
According to the open letter, “Dear Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, We write to you as Nobel Prize laureates, elected officials, and business and civil society leaders, and as friends of Bangladesh. We admire how your nation has made laudable progress since its independence in 1971.”
“However, we are deeply concerned by the threats to democracy and human rights that we have observed in Bangladesh recently. We believe that it is of the utmost importance that the upcoming national election be free and fair, and that the administration of the election be acceptable to all major parties in the country. The previous two national elections lacked legitimacy.”
“One of the threats to human rights that concerns us in the present context is the case of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. We are alarmed that
he has recently been targeted by what we believe to be continuous judicial harassment. This letter attempts to build upon an earlier appeal to you by 40 global leaders who were concerned about his safety and freedom.”
“We respectfully ask that you immediately suspend the current judicial proceedings against Professor Yunus, followed by a review of the charges by a panel of impartial judges drawn from within your nation with some role for internationally recognized legal experts. We are confident that any thorough review of the anti-corruption and labor law cases against him will result in his acquittal.”
“As you know, Professor Yunus’ work, which has been inspirational to all of us, focuses on how social business can be a force for international progress resulting in zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero net carbon emissions. He is a leading example of how Bangladesh and Bangladeshis have contributed to global progress in recent decades. We sincerely wish that he be able to continue his path-breaking work free of persecution or harassment.”
“We hope that you ensure the resolution of these legal issues in an expedient, impartial, and just manner while also ensuring a free, fair, and participatory national election in the coming months, and respect for all human rights. We will join with millions of concerned citizens around the world in closely tracking how these matters are resolved in the days ahead.”
Signatories of the letter supporting Prof. Yunus include Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, Jose Ramos-Horta, the president of East Timor, and Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland, former US foreign minister Hilary Clinton and former UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon. About this situation, President Obama recently wrote, “During this period, I hope it gives you strength to know that many whose potential you invested in, and those who care about a more equitable economic future for all, are thinking of you, and I hope that you continue to have the freedom to do your important work.”
One of only seven people to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, Yunus has been under attack by Sheikh Hasina’s government since 2010. “The attacks on Muhammad Yunus are what you’d expect from an authoritarian government,” said Sam Daley-Harris, the founder of Civic Courage and the anti-poverty nonprofit RESULTS. He added, “When a government controls all the levers of power, the media, the courts, and the parliament, it does whatever it can to stay in power.”
Concerned citizens are encouraged to join this effort by responding to a call to action.
