The ongoing persecution of Professor Yunus and his colleagues from Grameen Telecom—a nonprofit organization he chairs in a nonexecutive, unsalaried position—continues.
The next milestones are the convening of a special court to try him and 12 others on meritless charges brought by the Anti-Corruption Commission on May 2 and a court date on May 23 related to the equally spurious Labour Tribunal charges against Professor Yunus and 3 colleagues. Professor Yunus remains free on bail until the May 23 court date, as his lawyers pursue their appeals. For now, he is able to travel internationally with the permission of the government.
Those of us involved in the Protect Yunus Campaign have been encouraged by recent video testimonials from NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Kerry Kennedy of the RFK Human Rights Memorial, as well as supportive commentary by three other leading human rights organizations: Amnesty International, the Clooney Foundation and CIVICUS.
We understand that several additional video testimonials are about to be released. Importantly, the Amnesty statement highlights the risk to Nurjahan Begum, a woman who has been working with Professor Yunus since the 1970s, and gives her voice.
There has been major new media coverage, such as in Le Figaro in France, and more stories are in the pipeline.
As we await the coming court dates, the Protect Yunus Campaign is preparing for all eventualities and scenarios. We are also encouraging people–whether they are public figures or simply concerned citizens–to post their own videos and statements in support of Professor Yunus while using the #IStandWithYunus hashtag.
Please be on the lookout for news and supportive commentary on our social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.