Protecting Prof. Yunus: What YOU Can Do

Posted on by Protect Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus

Many people have reached out to ask what they can do in solidarity with Prof. Yunus as he and his work have come under attack from the Bangladesh government since late 2010, and especially as the campaign against him has intensified in recent months.  (For background on the worsening situation click here.)

To complement the efforts already underway by leading Grameen Bank and Yunus supporters  with international media, diplomats, and institutions committed to the rule of law and protecting human rights, concerned people throughout the world can make a difference in many ways, such as by taking these actions:

  1. Write to your elected federal representatives (e.g., Representatives and Senators in the U.S.) and ask them to work to advocate that your Secretary of State or Foreign Minister (1) contact the Bangladesh government and insist that they respect Prof. Yunus’ human rights and (2) ask their ambassador in Dhaka to report back to about the situation of human rights in Bangladesh and about Prof. Yunus situation in particular, especially given the prime minister’s attacks on him in parliament.
  2. Write to the Bangladesh ambassador in your country and ask him or her to ensure that Prof. Yunus’ human rights are respected and ensured.
  3. Share and promote the Protect Yunus blog and its key messages on social media. (Find our @ProtectYunus Twitter feed here and our Facebook page here.)
  4. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper and explain what is happening in Bangladesh and the need for your government to stand up for Prof. Yunus’ human rights.

Beyond these individual actions, here are a few ways to have even more impact:

  1. Write to all your friends and ask that they take these steps themselves.
  2. Join your local RESULTS group (if active in your city/country) or another community of activists in your area.
  3. Report back to the Protect Yunus team what you accomplish and learn after taking these action steps.
  4. Suggest additional ideas for people to get involved, which we can aggregate and publish. You can email us at protectmdyunus@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for everything that you do at this critical moment.

–The Protect Yunus Team, a global collaboration of people and organizations