176 global leaders and Nobel laureates urge Bangladesh to halt cases against Peace Prize winner

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — More than 170 global leaders and Nobel laureates have urged Bangladesh’s prime minister to suspend legal proceedings against Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering the use of microcredit to help impoverished people.

In an open letter, the leaders, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and more than 100 Nobel laureates, said they were deeply concerned by recent threats to democracy and human rights in Bangladesh.

The letter, which is dated Tuesday, expresses concern about the situation of Prof. Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. It states that one of the current threats to human rights is the continuous judicial harassment that he has been facing.

The statement mentioned that they firmly believe that a comprehensive examination of the legal cases related to corruption and labor laws against him will lead to his exoneration.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her willingness to invite international experts and lawyers to Bangladesh for evaluating the legal process and reviewing the relevant documents related to the accusations against Yunus.

Hasina stated that if experts and lawyers are involved, numerous undisclosed matters will be exposed, including many similar revelations.

In 1983, Yunus established Grameen Bank, an institution that provides small loans to entrepreneurs who would typically be ineligible for traditional bank loans. The bank’s achievement in helping individuals escape poverty has inspired the implementation of comparable microfinancing initiatives in numerous nations.

Hasina’s administration began a series of investigations of Yunus after coming to power in 2008. She became enraged when Yunus announced he would form a political party in 2007 when the country was run by a military-backed government and she was in prison, although he did not follow through on the plan.

Yunus has expressed disapproval of politicians in the nation, asserting that their primary concern is money. Hasina referred to him as a “bloodsucker” and alleged that, during his tenure as the leader of Grameen Bank, he employed force and other methods to collect loans from impoverished rural women.

In 2011, the government of Hasina initiated an examination of the bank’s operations, leading to the dismissal of Yunus from his position as managing director due to alleged breaches of retirement regulations. Subsequently, in 2013, Yunus faced a trial for accusations of accepting funds without government authorization, which included his Nobel Prize winnings and book royalties.

He later faced more charges involving other companies he created, including Grameen Telecom, which is part of the country’s largest mobile phone company, GrameenPhone, a subsidiary of Norwegian telecom giant Telenor.

In the past few weeks, 18 ex-employees of Grameen Telecom have taken legal action against Yunus, claiming that he unlawfully took away their job benefits. Lawyers representing Yunus have labeled the case as harassment and have pledged to contest the accusations.

Yunus faced a trial on August 22 for allegedly breaking labor laws. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments filed a case against Yunus and three others in 2021. They claimed that there were inconsistencies found during an inspection of Grameen Telecom, such as not formalizing positions for 101 staff members and not setting up a workers’ welfare fund.

Yunus and an additional 13 individuals were implicated in a lawsuit filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission. They were accused of misappropriating funds from Grameen Telecom.

In their letter, the global figures also urged that Bangladesh’s upcoming elections, expected to be held by early January, be credible.

Hasina stated that the elections would be conducted in a manner that is impartial and without any restrictions.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Zia, has accused that the upcoming elections will be manipulated and has warned of boycotting the voting unless Hasina resigns and transfers authority to an interim government responsible for supervising the voting process. However, Hasina has declined this request.