Yunus conviction won’t affect US-BD ties
Diplomatic Correspondent :
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said that the legal conviction of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus for the violation of labour laws, will not adversely affect US-Bangladesh diplomatic relations.
Dr. Yunus serves as the Chairman of Grameen Telecom.
He further stated that the matter has been handled through a legal procedure and Dr Yunus has the opportunity to appeal in the higher court.
The Foreign Secretary made the comments while responding to the questions of the journalists in the Foreign Ministry on Monday.
“The foreign relations between countries are not affected naturally due to any action against any individual.
This is part of an ongoing legal process. I prefer not to comment more than this,” he said.
A Dhaka court on Monday sentenced four persons including Dr Muhammad Yunus to jail for six months with a fine of Tk 25,000 each for the violation of labour laws.
According to the case documents, a team of the DIFE went on an inspection to the Grameen Telecom and found the violations of labour laws like not regularising 101 staff and not establishing a welfare fund for the labourers, among others.
Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) Inspector Arifuzzaman filed the case against Dr Yunus on 9 September 2021.
The filing of cases against Dr Yunus created much uproar in the world community last year and the world leaders urged the government of Bangladesh not to harass him and to withdraw the case against him.
In August last year, over 170 global leaders, including more than 100 Nobel laureates, wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanding immediate halt to the ongoing judicial proceedings against Dr 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,” reads the letter published on 28 August 2022 on the site Protect Yunus.
“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,” the letter read.
“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,” it concluded.
Following such open letter, the Foreign Ministry on September last year regretted that global leaders and Nobel laureates requested the Prime Minister to “exercise extra-judicial authorities” to suspend the sub-judice cases against Prof Yunus.
