Bangladesh Nobel laureate fears for future as woes mount
Bangladesh Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus says it is a “million-dollar question” why the prime minister hates him, but says many believe she sees him as a political threat. Yunus, 83, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering microfinance bank but has earned the enmity of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Last month, several of his firms were “forcefully” taken over, weeks after his conviction in a criminal case his supporters say was politically motivated. “She calls me bloodsucker, calls me all the dirty things she can come up with,” he said. “Why (does) she hate me? Some say it’s political ... (that) she sees me as a political opponent,” he added, carefully avoiding directly accusing Hasina himself.
In January, Yunus and three colleagues from Grameen Telecom, one of the firms he founded, were sentenced to jail for six months after they were found guilty of violating labor laws. All four deny the charges, and have been bailed pending appeal.
‘One-party state’
Yunus, who is facing more than 100 other charges over labor law violations and alleged graft, said the forcible takeover of his companies was related to a lack of democracy. “Those cases are made on flimsy grounds,” he told AFP in an interview in the capital Dhaka last week. “Since I don’t see any legal basis for that, probably it is politically motivated.”
Around 160 global figures, including former US president Barack Obama and ex-UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, published a joint letter last year denouncing the “continuous judicial harassment” of Yunus. The signatories, including more than 100 of his fellow Nobel laureates, said they feared for “his safety and freedom”.
Hasina, 76, won her fourth consecutive general election in January, in a vote without genuine opposition parties, with a widespread boycott and a major crackdown against her political opponents.
Critics accuse Bangladeshi courts of rubber-stamping decisions made by Hasina’s government. “It’s a one-party state because other parties don’t count,” he said. “We cannot express our views and go to the polling booth and exercise our voting right”.