The situation in Bangladesh continues to be both tragic and volatile. The needless bloodshed perpetrated by the police, paramilitary groups, and pro-government student organizations hangs over the nation, and the Prime Minister is losing any credibility she previously had through tone-deaf statements, appearances, and press conferences related to the killings. She has not expressed any condolences to the victims of her government’s killing rampage and their families, which is especially troubling.
Professor Yunus’ appeal to global leaders and the United Nations that was published by the Protect Yunus Campaign on behalf of the Yunus Centre (due to the government-imposed communications blackout that lasted for several days) has been influential, and has been picked up by leading international newspapers and media companies, such as The Wire, Bloomberg and Foreign Policy. Notably, the U.N. Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights responded to Dr. Yunus’ appeal by issuing a strongly-worded statement calling “on the Bangladesh Government to immediately end the violent crackdown against protesters and political opponents, fully restore access to the Internet and social media and ensure accountability for human rights violations.”
The New York Times published several lengthy and highly critical articles of the government’s response to the unrest, including one written by its Delhi bureau chief, Mujib Mashal, who had earlier written an in-depth critique of the Awami League government. In this latest article, titled “Longtime Leader’s Crackdown May Prove to be Self-Defeating,” he wrote: “Even in a country with an ample history of deadly political violence, Ms. Hasina’s crackdown has led to what diplomats and analysts have called atrocities without precedent in Bangladesh in recent decades. To many Bangladeshis, a line has now been crossed, and anger at the sheer carnage seems unlikely to diminish soon.”
Mashal continued, “The sustained protests that have convulsed Bangladesh this month are a backlash against Ms. Hasina’s formula for power: absolute, disconnected, and entitled.” The Times article was accompanied by a front-page photo of the aftermath of the carnage in Bangladesh.
The Foreign Minister fulminated against Professor Yunus’ call for an end to the killings, calling his actions treasonous, as reported here and here. The Minister was also forced to comment on the fact that the influential Chief Minister of the Indian state of Bengal (which borders on Bangladesh) commented negatively about the shedding of the blood of “helpless students.” A government briefing for Dhaka-based diplomats was harshly criticized by the U.S. ambassador for being biased and lacking in credibility.
The Foreign Minister’s charge of treason against Professor Yunus may become a pretext for arresting him upon his return to Bangladesh in a few days, something that we (and others in the human rights community) will be watching closely. (Speaking of human rights organizations, just today CIVICUS released a powerful article condemning the government’s violent response to the protests.) The Minister also complained about excellent, hard-hitting reporting by Al Jazeera by calling it “false and fabricated.”
The Bangladesh government is trying to project a sense of normalcy even as its credibility crumbles. Professor Yunus is in Paris, fulfilling a longstanding commitment to attend the Olympics there as a guest of the International Olympic Committee. He will return soon, facing new court dates on August 5 and August 14. It remains to be seen what condition his country will be in when he returns, and what will happen to him when he does.