New commentary about Professor Yunus and Grameen Telecom in “Bangladesh Pratidin,” a Bengali language daily newspaper, prompted a rare public response from Grameen Telecom. An English translation of the response appears below, and it may be published elsewhere in the days ahead. The rejoinder has already been covered in the Bangladesh media, such as here. The Bengali language version of the rejoinder can be found here. As of July 5, the Bangladesh Pratidin has yet to issue a response or retraction.

Rejoinder to a News Item on Grameen Telecom Published in the Dhaka Daily “The Bangladesh Pratidin”

A news report under the caption “Allegations of Punishable Offences against Dr. Yunus” that was published on June 25, 2023 on the front page of the daily “The Bangladesh Pratidin” has come to our notice. We strongly object to this news report as it is completely false and baseless, and it creates confusion in the minds of the public. We state the facts below:

Grameen Telecom is a company registered under Section 28 of the Companies Act, 1994 of Bangladesh. Under the law, a Section 28 company cannot distribute dividends. This is a non-profit, non-dividend company limited by guarantee. This is the reason why Grameen Telecom did not distribute any dividends. The question of Grameen Telecom losing its license for not distributing dividends therefore does not arise.

The news that Grameen Telecom has furnished false information in its annual returns to the RJSC is absolutely baseless. All accounts and transactions of Grameen Kalyan and Grameen Telecom, two non-profit organizations of the Grameen family, are audited by reputed and certified by external auditors every year.

Grameen Telecom signed an Agreement with Grameen Kalyan to borrow money from Grameen Kalyan for equity investment in Grameen Phone. As per the terms of the Agreement, the dividends that Grameen Telecom will receive from Grameen Phone is to be proportionately shared with Grameen Kalyan. It is properly documented in the annual returns submitted to RJSC every year, and no false returns have ever been submitted. The question of being punished for making false statements under Section 397 of the Companies Act does not arise at all.

The allegation of bribery by Grameen Telecom for trying to get a judgement in its favour from the court, in a case that is still pending (sub judice) with the court, is utterly baseless and unfounded. Such an allegation amounts to contempt of the Honourable Court.

The report accuses Dr. Yunus of oppressive labour practices that contravene labour rights and human rights. It should be noted that Grameen companies operate their activities strictly according to the laws of the land and rules and policies framed by companies based on those laws. These policies, as per the labour laws of the country, have been submitted to the concerned government authorities for their approval. Every company in the Grameen group has its own Service Rules, and each company is governed by its Service Rules. Salary and other benefits to the workers are regularly paid as per these Service Rules. These Service Rules provide more financial benefits to the workers than the benefits prescribed by the labour laws. There are no repressive or oppressive actions against labour within the Grameen companies. It may be recalled that none of these companies are operated to make personal profit for any individual/s. As a result there is no reason to cut labour costs to make more personal profits for anyone.

All the companies established by Dr. Yunus regularly pay income tax and VAT to the government. Ten leading companies, excluding Grameen Phone, established by Dr. Yunus have so far paid more than Tk. 5,000 crore [equivalent to US$ 461 million] as income tax and VAT.

Dr. Yunus does not receive any salary or remuneration or fee or any kind of financial benefit from any institution. Since he has no ownership in any company, he does not receive any dividends from them. Dr Yunus has said on many occasions that he does not wish to own anything. He wishes to live a life free from ownership of any kind. He does not own any house, car, land or shares within the country or overseas. The report states that he has laundered thousands of crores of taka abroad and is running lucrative businesses in different countries, including buying properties in his own name. If the reporter had specified even one or two such businesses or properties at home or abroad, Dr. Yunus’s claim of being an ownership-free person would have fallen apart. The reporter missed such a great opportunity on this occasion.

The report states that a portion of it (the “thousands of crores of taka laundered by him”) was used to hire lobbyists abroad to work against the national interest of Bangladesh. Leaving aside the amount of money paid to the lobbyists, if the reporter had taken the initiative to mention the names of at least one or two such lobbyists, every reader would have been impressed and appreciated that the reporter had made some serious effort in the task of gathering news.

Many organizations have been established in different countries of the world using the name of Dr. Yunus in their official identity. These organizations center around promoting and implementing his ideas and theories in practice. It is an on- going process; more organizations and companies continue to be created around the world. He does not have any ownership in any of these institutions. He does not take any salary or remuneration from them for his time given to these institutions for his guidance and consultation. These institutions send a nominal fee to Yunus Centre every year for using his name.

The report says that Dr. Yunus has laundered thousands of crores of taka. If he is laundering money, whose money is he laundering?

Not only has Dr. Yunus never laundered any money out of Bangladesh, rather he continues to bring money, lawfully earned abroad, into the country through proper banking channels.

The Government has all this information. It makes no sense why anyone would bring his money into the country only to launder it back out again.

Did he launder thousands of crores of Grameen Bank’s money abroad? If he did, it would be very easy to find out. The Grameen Bank is now under the direct control of the government, so it would be easy to obtain all the information from the bank. But even after more than a decade of Dr Yunus’s departure from Grameen Bank, Grameen Bank has not disclosed any such information to the public so far. If Grameen Bank had ever laundered any money it would have been made known already with great publicity. If the money from Dr Yunus’s other companies had been laundered, that money would have disappeared from their accounts. The actual information could have been obtained by checking the annual accounts. All those distinguished auditors would have a field day uncovering such big holes in the accounts of these companies.

There has never been any case filed against the Chairman of Grameen Telecom or any responsible person of this organization for any offence under Section 397 of the Companies Act as claimed in this report.

All the companies in the Grameen group are run according to the existing laws of the country. There has been no violation of the law. The reporter has tried to mislead the public by creating a fabricated report. The reporter has gone so far as to suggest in detail how many years Dr. Yunus would be sentenced for breaking various laws. He is in no mood to wait for the court to hear the case and give its judgement. We are very sorry to see that such a report would be published in the newspaper with total disregard for facts on such important issues. Anyone reading this report would be shocked and horrified by the sad state of journalism in this country.

Building on a strong letter to President Biden from six conservative Republican Congressmen in the United States about the deteriorating human rights situation in Bangladesh, six influential Democrats have written their own letter on the subject to the U.S. Secretary of State.  (Congressman Bill Keating also tweeted about the letter and included a copy of it in the tweet.)

They note the findings of the Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar that in 2022 there were “31 extrajudicial killings, 21 enforced disappearances, 68 deaths in jail, and 183 attacks on journalists” in the country while also noting that the Bangladeshi government denied that there was a problem.

These Members of Congress commended the recent visa restrictions imposed by the State Department but called for more action and for the department to answer six questions, including this one: “What measures is the State Department implementing to protect civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and victims of human rights abuses from governmental reprisals since the imposition of the December 2021 sanctions?”

Increasingly, international diplomats, parliamentarians, journalists, public figures, and citizens at large are focusing on human rights abuses in Bangladesh and calling on global leaders to protest.  With Professor Yunus’ own situation increasingly perilous due to the recent inexplicable actions by the Anti-Corruption Commission, the larger crisis in the country is finally attracting the attention it deserves.

The text of the latest letter appears below. (For information about a similar letter that was sent by six members of the European Parliament, click here.)

===

June 8, 2023

The Honorable Antony J. Blinken Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Blinken,

We write to express our concern about the ongoing deterioration of the human rights situation in Bangladesh as elections approach in January 2024. We urge the State Department and other U.S. agencies to continue to call for accountability for serious violations committed by law enforcement agencies, including the recently sanctioned Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a paramilitary unit of the Bangladesh Police created in 2004. Clear and repeated statements and actions by U.S. officials can help ensure that the Bangladeshi government complies with its human rights obligations. This is especially important in preparation for the upcoming elections, as there have already been mass arrests and violence against opposition parties which could tarnish the results and deepen social conflict.

We welcomed the December 2021 U.S. sanctions designations and visa restrictions implemented against the RAB and seven of its current and former high-level officers as a necessary and proportional response to well- documented reports of serious human rights abuses by that entity. Unfortunately, despite these actions, repression in Bangladesh has not ceased. In its Annual Human Rights Report 2022, respected Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar documented 31 extrajudicial killings, 21 enforced disappearances, 68 deaths in jail, and 183 attacks on journalists committed by various law enforcement agencies including the RAB, Detective Branch, and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence. Despite these documented incidents, Bangladeshi government officials have continued to deny the occurrence of human rights violations, minimizing such findings as “negative [campaigns] against [the] country” and even awarding and promoting officials accused of committing grave human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Further, the December 2021 U.S. sanctions designations empowered many in Bangladeshi society to speak out about the human rights violations they have witnessed, documented, or experienced at the hands of various law enforcement agencies. In response, the Bangladeshi government has intensified reprisals against civil society organizations, human rights defenders, victims of human rights violations, and their families. For example, the families of victims of enforced disappearances have faced harassment and have been coerced into signing blank papers or pre-written statements to the effect that their relative had simply gone missing and was not forcibly disappeared. In addition, the previously mentioned human rights organization Odhikar was deregistered by Bangladesh’s Non-Governmental Organization Affairs Bureau in June 2022 for “seriously [tarnishing] the image of the state to the world” with its human rights documentation and reporting. Odhikar’s leaders, members, and their family members have faced increased surveillance, harassment, and questioning by law enforcement officials. Despite these actions, civil society organizations, human rights defenders, victims, and their families continue to call for additional sanctions against more members of the RAB and other law enforcement agencies to hold the government of Bangladesh accountable and send a clear message that impunity will not be tolerated.

We understand that Bangladesh is an important U.S. partner and appreciate its willingness to host around 1 million Rohingya refugees. At the same time, the decision not to invite Bangladesh to the 2023 Summit of Democracy was a clear signal that the State Department recognizes the country’s democratic and human rights challenges ahead of scheduled 2024 elections. We thus respectfully request that you provide responses to the following questions at your earliest convenience:

• How does the State Department track reports of human rights violations committed by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh, including the Rapid Action Battalion, the Detective Branch, and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence?

• What indicators is the State Department using to evaluate progress or lack thereof in Bangladesh in reducing impunity for serious human rights abuses committed by these entities? Are these the same indicators taken into account in deciding to impose or lift sanctions?

• What measures is the State Department implementing to protect civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and victims of human rights abuses from governmental reprisals since the imposition of the December 2021 sanctions?

• What efforts is the State Department making to encourage U.S. allies to coordinate on the imposition of sanctions and visa restrictions against the Rapid Action Battalion and its current and former officials?

• What steps, in addition to the new policy to restrict visas for any Bangladeshi individual believed to be involved in undermining the democratic election process, is the U.S. government taking to help ensure that the scheduled January 2024 elections will be free and fair?

• What indicators is the State Department using to evaluate whether conditions for a free and fair election are present, including freedom of expression, association, and assembly?

Thank you in advance for your attention to these requests.

Sincerely,

William R. Keating, Member of Congress

James McGovern, Member of Congress

Barbara Lee, Member of Congress

Jim Costa, Member of Congress

Dina Titus, Member of Congress

Jamie Raskin, Member of Congress

Both internationally and within Bangladesh—to the extent the current state of repression allows—increased outrage is being expressed about the states of human rights, minority rights, free expression, and political violence in the country.  The continued persecution of Professor Yunus remains a rallying cry for many friends of democracy in Bangladesh. 

Yesterday at the White House, a journalist asked the following question during a press conference with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby (read the entire transcript here):

“In a letter to the President, six congressmen requested urgent action to stop human rights abuse by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  Also urged President Biden for measures, including stricter individual sanction, and to give the people of Bangladesh the best possible chance for a free and fair parliamentary election.  What is your response about these lawmakers’ recent letter to the President?” 

Mr. Kirby responded: “Look, we’ve been consistent, and I’m aware of the communication.  We’ve been consistent on the need for Bangladesh to hold free and fair elections.  And to demonstrate that commitment, the State Department, as you know, recently announced a 3C visa policy that would restrict visa issuances to individuals who undermine Bangladesh’s elections.” 

It should not be surprising that questions like these are being asked at higher and higher levels of international politics, business, and diplomacy considering the recent indictment of Professor Yunus and 12 colleagues from Grameen Telecom on meritless and easily disproven charges of embezzlement, and a separate tax judgement of more than $1 million against Professor Yunus for tax evasion that is equally spurious. 

Expect hard-hitting analysis about how grossly unjust these charges are in the days to come, and also additional condemnation from politicians, diplomats, and public figures around the world about Professor Yunus’ treatment and about the larger context of human rights abuses and democratic backsliding in Bangladesh.    

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has done a remarkable job souring relations with the United States this year.  Her anti-democratic impulses, abuses of human rights, and gratuitous attacks on the U.S. are starting to have a significant impact on bilateral relations.  These tragedies are the larger context in which the persecution of Professor Muhammad Yunus is taking place. 

The most significant development was the announcement on May 24 by Secretary of State Blinken that the U.S. will “restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.“ It continues, “This includes current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.”  The entire announcement can be found here.

Already, there are reports that elites in the country are stepping back from following orders that might get them or their family members banned from visiting the United States. 

Secretary Blinken mentioned in his statement that the Bangladeshi government was informed of this decision on May 3, weeks prior to the public announcement, as a courtesy.  This may go a long way to explaining some of the unhinged commentary by the PM about the U.S. since then. 

More recently, criticism of Bangladesh’s PM and ruling party took a bipartisan turn when six conservative Republican Congressman wrote to President Biden urging that democracy, human rights, and minority rights be defended in Bangladesh given that all have been under attack recently.  It was noteworthy that the letter, which is reproduced in full below, ended with these explosive words: “We request appropriate measures to give Bangladesh their best chance for free elections, including stricter individual sanctions, banning Bangladesh law enforcement and military personnel from participating in UN peacekeeping missions.”

Bangladesh has been sending a large number of peacekeepers abroad for many years, and these assignments bring considerable financial resources and prestige to the country.  Bangladeshis have served with honor in many difficult environments.  To have this opportunity to serve the global community taken away would be a significant blow to the country. 

The letter was authenticated when a member of the Protect Yunus Campaign called one of the Congressman’s offices to confirm that it was not a fake.

In the meantime, the  Economist has again published commentary on the PM’s misrule in this article, whose subtitle says it all: The PM’s “tragic past threatens Bangladesh’s future.”  Despite the challenges foreign journalists face in getting into the country to report from there, it is good to see the Economist continuing to cover this story. 

* * *

Text of Republican Congressmen’s Letter (Update: since this post was originally published, the Congressmen have published a press release and the letter — now dated May 25 — online).

May 17, 2023

President Joseph Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We request urgent action to stop the human rights abuses by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazad of Bangladesh, and to give the people of Bangladesh the best possible chance for free and fair parliamentary elections to be scheduled this fall.

Various NGOs have documented hundreds of instances of human rights abuses by the government of Sheikh Hasina since she assumed power in January 2009 — including reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and even the United Nations – that show Hasina’s government has increasingly repudiated democratic systems, perpetrated widespread abuse against its citizens, conducted torture, committed extrajudicial killings, jailed joumalists, disappeared opponents, and assaulted or killed peaceful protesters. The well-documented abuses by the Hasina government are not confined to her political opponents; the government also has persecuted ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Since Sheikh Hasina’s rise to power, the Hindu population has been halved. Looting and burning of households, destruction of temples and religious idols, murder, rape, and forced religious conversion are causing Hindus to flee Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina’s government also has persecuted Bangladesh’s minority Christian population — burning and looting places of worship, jailing pastors, and breaking up families when religious conversion occurs.

In recent months, tens of thousands’ of peaceful protesters have demonstrated for fair and free elections, which are the people’s only hope for a change in the Hasina government. In response, Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the major perpetrator of torture, disappearances, and extra judicial killings in Bangladesh, have arrested, intimidated, and even killed peaceful demonstrators. The RAB has been characterized as a government “Death Squad” by numerous NGO’s including Human Rights Watch.

In a recent investigation by German state broadcaster DW and Sweden-based news agency Netra News, two whistleblowers and former members of the RAB, confessed that these incidents of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances could not be possible without the Home Minister and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s approval.

The U.S. government designated RAB a “serious human rights abuser” more than a year ago and sanctioned several law enforcement authorities responsible for many of the killings and other atrocities. Yet, the Hasina regime has only intensified its systemic repression of the people of Bangladesh since sanctions were imposed. The sanctions by the U.S. have not done enough to slow the flagrant human rights violations and democratic backsliding of Sheikh Hasina’s government.

In addition to crimes against their own people, Hasina’s misconduct encourages other bad actors in South Asia to make common alliance. and hurts America’s national security interests as they gang together and draw closer to China and Russia.

We request appropriate measures to give Bangladesh their best chance for free elections, including stricter individual sanctions, banning Bangladesh law enforcement and military personnel from participating in UN peacekeeping missions.

Respectfully,

Scott Perry (PA-10)

Member of Congress

Bob Good (VA-05)

Member of Congress

Barry Moore (AL-02)

Member of Congress

Tim Burchett (TN-02)

Member of Congress

Warren Davidson (OH-08)

Member of Congress

Keith Self (TX-03)

Member of Congress

Note: There were footnotes in the original letter for some of the sources cited, but they do not appear in this online version thought they can be seen in the PDF version posted by Congressman Good.

The response to the Open Letter from 40 Global Leaders to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister about her government’s treatment of Professor Muhammad Yunus has been tremendous—both within Bangladesh and around the world.  The wide circulation of a related Call to Action has also been very encouraging.

Naturally, a few criticisms have been leveled against it.  One goes like this: Why did this need to appear as a paid advertisement in the Washington Post, as opposed to something that the Post would cover on its own as a news article by one of its journalists?  The implication is that the harassment of Professor Yunus, and human rights concerns in Bangladesh more widely, are not newsworthy or important.

This is patently absurd.

First of all, these issues have been covered by reputable international media outlets, including the Economist and the Financial Times. 

Secondly, they have not been more widely covered by the Post and other media companies because the Bangladesh government has been refusing almost all requests for visas by independent foreign journalists.  Reporting about Bangladesh without being able to visit Bangladesh is obviously challenging.  (The Financial Times Delhi bureau chief was somehow able to get a visa, though with the expectation that he write a “positive” story about “Made in Bangladesh” Week 2022, as an official in the Bangladesh embassy in India explicitly requested and which was reported as part of his article.) 

If Bangladesh can open itself up to foreign reporters, the number of articles will surely increase.  While they are at it, perhaps they can also stop intimidating local journalists—which might contribute to something better than being ranked 162 out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. 

Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and Bangladesh needs a lot more of it right now.  Greater openness would lessen the need for the kind of open letter that the 40 global leaders wrote, signed, sent, and publicized.

If you are reading this, it is probably because you care about the work, life and safety of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.  If so, those of us involved in helping keep him safe welcome you into the “Protect Yunus” campaign. 

We have identified several action steps that any citizen can take to help our cause.  They are:

1. Circulate the open letter to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and urge others to take action in support of it using this link: https://protectyunus.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/07/global-leaders-appeal-to-the-bangladeshi-prime-minister-regarding-the-treatment-of-professor-muhammad-yunus-in-an-open-letter/
2. Write to your elected representatives at the federal level (such as your Congressperson and Senators if you live in the United States) and urge them to take action in support of Professor Yunus and human rights in Bangladesh.
3. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the Bangladesh government’s treatment of Professor Yunus and the human rights situation there generally (you can read about the human rights issues in Bangladesh here).
4. Follow the PY Yunus Campaign on Twitter and Facebook to stay informed.
5. Get involved with some of the great organizations Professor Yunus has started in the United States, such as Grameen Foundation and Grameen America, and ones advocating for sustainable change globally that he is involved with, such as RESULTS.
6. Make a financial contribution to the Protect Yunus Campaign to help us sustain our efforts.

We welcome your suggestions about how we can best work together to protect Professor Yunus.  You can email us anytime at protectmdyunus@gmail.com.

On March 7, 40 global leaders from the fields of politics, diplomacy, business, the arts, and academia sent the letter below to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh regarding her government’s treatment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. This open letter was also published as a full-page ad in the Washington Post. Those wishing to work in solidarity with these leaders can consider the steps suggested in a call to action published elsewhere on this site that can be accessed here. A related press release can be found here.

March 7, 2023

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister’s Office

Old Sangsad Bhaban

Tejgaon, Dhaka-1215

Bangladesh

Honorable Prime Minister Hasina,

We write to you as friends of Bangladesh who admire the courage and ingenuity of the people of your country. We are public servants and businesspeople, civil society leaders and philanthropists. We are among the tens of millions of global citizens who have been inspired by the innovations that have been developed in Bangladesh and adopted around the world. It is out of this deep respect for your country that we write to urge you to take positive steps to support and recognize the great contributions one of your most notable citizens, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

We have deep concerns for Professor Yunus’ well-being and his ability to contribute to humanitarian advancement in Bangladesh and around the world. As we are sure you are aware, Muhammad Yunus’ contributions to Bangladesh-especially to the very poor and the most vulnerable-as well as to the world, are recognized and honored around the globe. For example:

• Professor Yunus is one of seven people in history to have received the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Presidential medal of Freedom, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, a group that includes Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Elie Wiesel.

• He founded Grameen Bank in 1976 and grew it to a world-renowned poverty-fighting institution of 9 million borrowers, 97 percent of them women, that has lifted millions out of poverty and been a model for other microcredit programs around the world.

• In the mid-1980s Grameen Bank began offering housing loans of $200-$500 that have led to the construction of sturdy rural homes for more than 750,000 families.

• Grameen Shakti, which Professor Yunus founded and chairs, has installed more than 1.8 million solar home systems and trained thousands of rural women to install and repair these systems.

• The farsighted investment of Grameen Telecom, a nonprofit organization that he founded, in GrameenPhone, has allowed for the proliferation of social innovation throughout Bangladesh such as the establishment of Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing, the country’s largest private nursing college, four eye care hospitals that cater to the country’s poor, 150 primary health care clinics, and more.

• He established Grameen America in 2008 to provide microcredit to low-income people in the United States, mostly in amounts under $2,500. It is about to cross the milestone of $3 billion lent, and it has a 99% repayment rate.

Muhammad Yunus has not benefited financially from his involvement in Grameen Telecom or GrameenPhone. Rather, he has devoted himself to the poverty-fighting missions of the many organizations he has established and lives modestly in Dhaka. It is therefore painful to see Prof. Yunus, a man of impeccable integrity, and his life’s work unfairly attacked and repeatedly harassed and investigated by your government.

We believe one of the most important roles of government is to create an environment where traditional and social entrepreneurs can flourish.

We hope that Bangladesh will return to its role as a model for other developing nations of how a vibrant civil society can be nurtured to ensure sustainable progress. A good first step would be to recognize Professor Yunus’ achievements and allow him to focus his energy on doing more good for your country and for the world, rather than on defending himself.

We, and tens of millions of people around the world, hope that you will embrace this vision.

Sincerely,

Bono, Musician and Activist

Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group

Lord Mark Malloch Brown, President, Open Society Foundations

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State

Sam Daley-Harris, Founder, RESULTS and Civic Courage

Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Romeo Dallaire, Founder, Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security

Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President Emerita, Children’s Defense Fund

Vicente Fox, Former President of Mexico

Peter Gabriel, Musician

Ron Garan, Former NASA Astronaut

Kul Gautam, Former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF and Assistant Secretary General of the UN

Pamela Gillies, Former Vice Chancellor and Professor Emerita, Glasgow Caledonian University

Peter C. Goldmark, Jr., Former CEO, Rockefeller Foundation and International Herald Tribune

Jane Goodall, Primatologist and Activist

Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States

John Hewko, CEO, Rotary International

Mo Ibrahim, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Baroness Helena Kennedy, KC Member of the House of Lords U.K.

Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Ted Kennedy Jr.

Vinod Khosla, Venture Capitalist

Ban Ki-moon, 8^th Secretary General of the UN

Annie Lennox, Singer, Songwriter, and Activist

Arthur Levitt, Former Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Gene Ludwig, Founder and CEO, Springharbor Holdings & Former U.S. Comptroller of the Currency

Paul Maritz, Former CEO of VMWare

Michael H. Moskow, Former President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys

Sir Robin Niblett, Former Chief Executive, Chatham House

Jan Piercy, Advisor, Southern Bancorporation, Former U.S. Board Director, World Bank

Robert Post, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Senator Donald Riegle, Former U.S. Senator from Michigan, Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Development

Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland

Ellen Seidman

Yeardley Smith, Actress

Sharon Stone, Mother

Dr. David Suzuki, Prof. Emeritus, University of British Columbia

Peter Tufano, Former Dean, Saïd School of Business, Oxford University

Melanne Verveer, Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues

Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia

Visas given to foreign journalists for travel to Bangladesh and report on its various crises—mostly caused by government corruption, abuses, and incompetence—have been increasingly hard to come by in recent months.  But somehow, the Delhi bureau chief of the Financial Times was able to secure one to cover “Made in Bangladesh Week 2022” late last year. 

His just-published article — which is titled “In Dhaka, a Prime Minister’s ‘vendetta’ is shaping politics” — mainly covers the Prime Minister’s campaign against Professor Yunus, which the article argues represents a “troubling sign for the country’s near-term future.”  The author explores how her campaign against Professor Yunus and organizations he is connected to is alarming diplomats and discouraging potential foreign investors. 

One of the remarkable parts of the article is how fearful almost everyone in the country is of talking negatively about the PM and commenting on her conflict with Professor Yunus.  He writes, “Several Bangladeshis I spoke to called [the campaign against Yunus] a ‘vendetta,’ though most did not want to be quoted or even meet in person for fear of attracting the attention of Bangladesh’s security services or causing trouble for their co-workers.”

The article correctly states that despite the Prime Minister’s contention that Professor Yunus sabotaged World Bank financing for the Padma Bridge project, the evidence points in a different direction.  It reports, “When the Washington lender declined to loan the project money in 2012, it cited corruption concerns.”  It further notes that “her invective [against Yunus] has ramped up lately, and on at least one occasion [has] been laced with what sounded like a violent threat.”

A ruling party Member of Parliament, the only person connected with the government willing to speak to the reporter, said that “there is an unarticulated conspiracy theory that anyone who criticises the government is taking part in some kind of conspiracy to oust the government,” which the MP added was “hardly true.”

The article concludes with the observation that social innovation in Bangladesh has been at a world class level, and that people around the world have been eager to learn from the country’s dynamic civil society leaders, such as Professor Yunus.  But instead, they are scared away by the violence, abuses, and vendettas of the current government.  As a result, a major opportunity for Bangladesh is being lost. 

As further evidence that the international community is waking up to the persecution of Professor Muhammad Yunus and the wider human rights crisis in Bangladesh, Kenneth Roth, the former head of Human Rights Watch, retweeted the Economist article and added his own views. He wrote, “Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, is pursuing ‘a decade-long campaign’ against Muhammad Yunus, a perceived political rival. Ostensibly targeting corruption, the latest probe ‘is testament to rising authoritarianism in Bangladesh’.”

Nicholas Kristof weighed in again on Twitter while circulating the same Economist article and Roth’s take on it, and added his own commentary: “Muhammad Yunus has done so much for the world; it’s sad to see what Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina trying to crush him because he is more admired than she is around the world.”

Roth and Kristof combined have roughly 2.5 million followers on Twitter.