Stop Judicial Harassment Against Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus

The Global Civil Society Alliance CIVICUS and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) call on the Bangladeshi authorities to immediately end the judicial harassment of Muhammad Yunus. As the Nobel laureate and social activist approaches trial this month, we call for his conviction to be quashed and all other charges to be dropped unconditionally.

Muhammad Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank, a microfinance institution. In 2006, he and his bank won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in lifting millions out of poverty by providing microcredit. However, he has earned the enmity of longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has repeatedly criticized him.

He faces more than 100 cases of corruption and labor violations. Yunus has denied the charges, saying the government was engaged in a judicial harassment campaign against him.

In September 2023, the UN expresses concerns about the bullying and harassment against Yunus that has been going on for nearly a decade. smear campaigns The accusations against him come from the highest levels of government, violating his right to a fair trial and due process, in accordance with international standards.

On January 1, 2024, Yunus wassentencedfor violating Bangladesh’s labor laws. He and three of his colleagues at Grameen Telecom were sentenced to six months in prison for failing to establish a welfare fund for workers at the company. They were released on bail pending their appeal. On June 12, 2024, Yunus and 13 others were charged with charges Yunus has been accused of embezzling funds from his telecommunications company’s welfare fund. Yunus has denied the charges and his trial is scheduled to begin on July 15.

The judicial harassment of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus appears to be politically motivated and highlights the systematic targeting of civil society and critics by the Sheikh Hasina regime. The authorities must end this abuse of the judicial system to persecute Yunus and end this travesty of justice.

In December 2023, the CIVICUS Monitor retrograde Bangladesh’s civic space is now “closed,” its worst rating ever. The downgrade is the result of attacks on civil society and a massive government crackdown on opposition politicians and independent critics ahead of national elections in January 2024.

In recent years, the CIVICUS Monitor has documented Human rights defenders like Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan, sentenced to two years in prison in September 2023 for a decade-old report investigating extrajudicial killings by Bangladeshi law enforcement, are being targeted. Authorities have targeted journalists who expose state abuses and shut down media outlets critical of the state. A new cybersecurity law includes repressive language adopted from the previous draconian digital security law, which was used to criminalize thousands of online critics.

Bangladeshi authorities must end their crackdown on activists and stop using restrictive laws to silence dissent. Instead, they must take steps to uphold their international human rights obligations, respect and protect fundamental freedoms, and create an enabling environment for civil society.