12 US senators write to PM Hasina to 'end harassment' of Dr Yunus

Twelve US senators from both the major US parties have written a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urging her to end, what they said was, "the persistent harassment" of Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.

In the letter published on Monday (22 January), they called for ending the pattern of "abusing the justice system" to target critics of the government more broadly.

Besides, they said Professor Yunus' "positive efforts should not be undermined over ongoing political vendettas, especially in a democratic nation of laws," according to the official website of Dick Durbin, senator of Illinois, US.

"For more than a decade, Professor Yunus has faced more than 150 unsubstantiated cases brought against him in Bangladesh," the senators said.

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.

The senators wrote that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have noted irregularities in proceedings against Yunus, including the most recent six-month prison sentence for allegedly violating the country's labour laws that is being appealed.

These organisations argue "the speed and repeated use of criminal proceedings are indicative of politically motivated judicial abuses", they said.

"Moreover, the repeated and sustained harassment of Yunus mirrors what many Bangladeshi civil society members also face in an increasingly restrictive environment," reads the letter.

"Yunus' pioneering work on microfinance offered greater economic promise for many Bangladeshis and millions of impoverished people around the world. The United States Congress awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal in 2013, recognising 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.

"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 criticise the government, will help continue this important relationship," reads the letter.