UN will check Dr Yunus issue Reiterates call for participatory polls in BD

Staff Reporter :
The United Nations (UN) on Monday reiterated the calls for ensuring a free, fair and participatory national election in Bangladesh when its attention was drawn to a statement of the international leaders that heavily condemned the trial of Dr. Muhammad Yunus in a labour case which raised the possibility of him being ‘targeted’ by judicial harassment.

The UN spokesman for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric was asked that 160 world leaders, including former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Barack Obama and 100 Nobel laureates wrote an open letter to Bangladesh ruling Prime Minister, alarmed that Nobel laureate Bangladeshi Professor Muhammad Yunus has recently been targeted by the judicial harassment.

They also urge for ensuring a free, fair and participate in national election in the coming months and the respect for all human rights.

What is the UN Secretary-General position in this critical situation of the Professor Muhammad Yunus as he is engaged with the UN in various capacity?

The Spokesman said, “Well, as we’ve said before, we very much want to see, and I think everyone wants to see free, fair elections coming up in Bangladesh.

And I will check on Professor Yunus. I was not aware of the case.”

In reply to another question that Bangladesh Government using country’s code to block the opposition leader voices in all types of the media.

Today, one of the court has ordered the Bangladesh Tele Regulatory Commission to remove all recent video statement of the main opposition leader, Tarique Rahman, from the social media. And a PhD student at Michigan State University criticised the Government, but his mother arrested in Bangladesh.

The Spokesman said- “I’m not aware of this particular case. I can tell you that we very much again hope to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh.”

In reply to another question, Bangladesh has undertaken pilot project to repatriate the Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

How United Nations can support the effort of Bangladesh for the safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar?

“First, I think it is important to note again the generosity of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi people in hosting the hundreds of thousands of refugees and the host communities that have taken them in. UNHCR is in the lead on this issue,” he said.

“We have an overarching principle that all return of refugees should be done in a voluntary, safe and dignified manner in a place in which they can feel safe.

And I think I would leave it at that for now,” he stressed.