Some of us in the Protect Yunus Campaign hoped that in the aftermath of the Prime Minister’s reelection, however disputed and fraudulent it was, she would take the high road and scuttle the meritless cases and investigations of Professor Yunus (and ideally also of the many others she has been persecuting), or perhaps facilitate a presidential pardon. It appears that such optimism was unwarranted.
On February 12, thugs including people claiming to be retired military officers invaded the Telecom Building and have, ever since, been occupying the offices of eight leading Grameen companies that Professor Yunus established and that have been doing breakthrough work in health care for the poor, renewable energy, and other important areas. Six of those organizations have received letters from Grameen Bank asserting that their chairmen and managing directors are being removed and replaced, despite there being no legal basis for such actions. Each day this week, the invaders lock the doors when they leave and don’t allow any of the legitimate employees of the companies back into their offices until they arrive and unlock the doors. When lawyers attempted to notify local police of this illegal invasion and occupation, the police would not take any action or even note down the complaint. Later they “investigated” and, incredibly, found nothing amiss!
There were some initial press reports on the invasion and occupation. When Professor Yunus and other leaders of these companies tried to hold a press conference on Thursday, February 15, they were initially unable to do so because some women were blocking the entrance to the Telecom building. (Later, when asked, the women admitted they had no idea why they were there beyond having been asked by some local political leaders to do their bidding.) The press conference ultimately went forward. It has led to more local and international press coverage, including an AFP article carried in Barrons and The Hindu, and on the BBC World News, where reporters lauded Professor Yunus’ global leadership, discussed the invasion, and referred to the “judicial harassment” Professor Yunus has been facing. More international coverage and condemnation is expected.
The spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary General addressed this at a press conference on February 15 when he said, responding to a question about the illegal occupation of 8 Grameen companies, “I’d have to reiterate that Mr. Yunus has been very much a valued partner of the United Nations through the years. He’s been an advocate for us both in official and unofficial capacity and supporting a number of initiatives surrounding the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and our development work in general. We are very concerned about the reports that we have seen coming out of Bangladesh on issues related to him.”
The U.S. State Department also weighed in. According to one report, “The US Department of State condemned the raids on offices linked to Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus saying they could hinder foreign investment in the South Asian nation. In a statement on Tuesday, spokesman Matthew Miller expressed concern about the unusually fast-paced legal actions against Yunus, including the frequent involvement of the Anti-Corruption Commission in many cases. He warned that harassment of such a prominent figure could ‘damage Bangladesh’s reputation’ and ‘hinder foreign investment.'”
Bangladeshis at home and abroad are expressing shock and disgust about this latest development, with any remaining sympathy for the Prime Minister’s position evaporating precipitously. Fears about the safety and freedom of Grameen leaders including Professor Yunus is growing, and also about the independence of eight organizations that have been working for decades to improve living conditions in Bangladesh and address climate change using innovative means that have been admired and copied around the world.