4 US senators urge to end govt’s harassment towards Yunus Staff Reporter Four U.S. senators, including the Senate majority whip, have called for an immediate end to the Bangladesh government’s harassment of Nobel Peace laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. They stated that Yunus is the victim of a seemingly personal vendetta, and such treatment against him could impact the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Bangladesh. The senators, including Dick Durbin, Jeff Merkley, Tim Kaine, and Peter Welch, expressed concern that Yunus could face up to six months in prison on ‘dubious charges’ on upcoming court dates. They noted that, for over a decade, Yunus has faced more than 100 unsubstantiated cases brought against him in Bangladesh. The harassment campaign against Yunus has been denounced by over 100 Nobel Prize winners, including former President Obama. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights organisations like Amnesty International have also noted irregularities in the proceedings against Yunus, including a recent six-month prison sentence for allegedly violating labour laws and another indictment on embezzlement. These reputable organisations argue that the speed and repeated use of criminal proceedings are indicative of politically motivated judicial abuses. The senators stated that the “repeated and sustained harassment of Professor Yunus mirrors what many Bangladeshi civil society members also face in an increasingly restrictive environment.” They urged the Bangladeshi government to end the harassment of Yunus and others exercising their freedom of speech to criticise the government, as this would help continue the important U.S.-Bangladesh relationship. Highlighting US-Bangladesh relations, they said, “The United States values its longstanding relationship with Bangladesh; however, a failure to end this seemingly personal vendetta against Muhammad Yunus will negatively impact that partnership.” They said, “We again call for the immediate end to the harassment of Professor Yunus and urge the government to respect democratic values and institutions.” Durbin led the effort in the United States Congress to award Professor Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal in 2013, recognising his pioneering contributions in the fight against global poverty. On January 22, this year, a group of senators wrote to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, calling for the end of Professor Yunus’ harassment. In the letter, they wrote, “We urge you to put an end to the persistent harassment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Yunus and the pattern of abusing laws and the justice system to target critics of the government more broadly.” “The United States values its longstanding relationship with Bangladesh, which includes close bilateral and multilateral coordination on numerous common interests. Ending the harassment of Professor Yunus and others exercising their freedom of speech to criticise the government will help continue this important relationship,” the letter concluded.