DHAKA, Bangladesh — More than 170 worldwide leaders and Nobel laureates have prompted Bangladesh’s prime minister to suspend legal procedures versus Muhammad Yunus, who was granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering the usage of microcredit to assistance impoverished individuals.
In an open letter, the leaders, consistingof previous U.S. President Barack Obama, previous U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and more than 100 Nobel laureates, stated they were deeply worried by current hazards to democracy and human rights in Bangladesh.
“One of the hazards to human rights that issues us in the present context is the case of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. We are alarmed that he has justrecently been targeted by what we think to be constant judicial harassment,” stated the letter, outdated Tuesday.
“We are positive that any comprehensive evaluation of the anti-corruption and labor law cases versus him will outcome in his acquittal,” it stated.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reacted by stating she would welcome global professionals and legalrepresentatives to come to Bangladesh to examine the legal procedures and analyze files including the charges versus Yunus.
“If they sendout the specialists and attorneys, numerous more things will get exposed, which stay unblemished. Many such things will come out,” Hasina stated.
In 1983, Yunus established Grameen Bank, which provides little loans to businessowners who would not generally certify for bank loans. The bank’s success in lifting individuals out of hardship led to comparable microfinancing e