Muhammad Yunus sentenced to jail for violation of labor law

A Bangladeshi court has sentenced Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to jail for violating the labor laws of Bangladesh. Muhammad Yunus is the first Nobel Prize winner from Bangladesh for establishing Grameen Bank.

Mr. Yunus is a social entrepreneur and civil leader who pioneered the concepts of microcredit and microfinance to help poor people of Bangladesh. Although, supporters of Prof.Yunus argue that the case against him is politically motivated.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus sentenced to jail in Bangladesh https://t.co/5RKWFDxUnt
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A Bangladeshi labor court has sentenced Muhammad Yunus to six months in jail. Prof. Yunus and his three colleagues from Grameen Telecom faced a conviction of failing to establish a welfare fund for their employees in the Aug 2022 trial. All four denied any involvement and the court released them on bail pending appeals.

Meanwhile, Prof. Yunus said in court that his lawyers have convincingly argued that this verdict against him is contrary to all legal law and logic. Also, he called on the Bangladeshi people to speak in one voice against injustice and in favor of democracy and human rights for every one of our citizens.

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While the lawyer of Yunus, Abdullah Al Mamun, said the court verdict was an unusual judgment. The matter was rushed and no due legal process was followed. He also said the entire purpose is to harm his (Yunus) international reputation. They intend to challenge this decision.

Furthermore, supporters of Prof. Yunus are asking the Bangladeshi government to stop the political victimization of Yunus. The court decision comes ahead of elections in Jan 2024.

However, Yunus belongs to the political party Nagorik Shakti while Hasina belongs to the ruling Awami Party. Current Prime Minister Hasina Sheikh called Yunus a bloodsucker of the poor. She also accused Grameen Bank of charging high-interest rates.

Nonetheless, about 105 Nobel Laureates urged Hasina to end Prof. Yunus’s “persecution” in August. It included former US Secretary Hillary Clinton, Richard Branson, and U2 lead singer Bono wrote a letter to Hasina demanding to stop the continued judicial harassment of Yunus.