Several United States senators have written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calling for an end to “the persistent harassment” of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus.
They also called for an end to the Bangladeshi government’s “pattern of abusing the justice system to target critics of the govt more broadly,” according to Senator Dick Durbin’s post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
“We write urging you to end to the persistent harassment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate,” reads the letter.
It says: “Professor Muhammad Yunus and the pattern of abusing laws and the justice system to target critics of the government more broadly.
“For more than a decade, Professor Yunus has faced more than 150 unsubstantiated cases brought against him in Bangladesh. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have noted irregularities in proceedings against him, including the most recent six-month prison sentencing for allegedly violating the country's labour laws that is being appealed.”
The US senators said these reputable organizations argued the speed and repeated use of criminal proceedings were indicative of “politically motivated judicial abuses.”
Moreover, the repeated and sustained harassment of Dr Yunus mirrored what many Bangladeshi civil society members also faced in an increasingly restrictive environment, they added.
“Yunus' pioneering work on microfinance offered greater economic promise for many Bangladeshis and millions of impoverished people around the world.”
They said the US Congress awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal in 2013, recognizing his pioneering contributions to the fight against global poverty. “Such efforts should not be undermined over ongoing political vendettas, especially in a democratic nation of laws.”
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The signatories said: “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 criticize the government, will help continue this important relationship.”
The signatories of the letter include US Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and US Senators Todd Young, Tim Kaine, Dan Sullivan, Jeff Merkley, Jeanne Shaheen, Edward Markey, Sherrod Brown, Peter Welch, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden, and Cory A Booker.
