State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said Bangladesh has an independent judicial process and the court will take decisions based on evidence regarding Prof Muhammad Yunus.
“They can observe the proceedings. We welcome that surely,” he told reporters regarding those who wrote a letter in favour of the Nobel laureate.
The state minister wanted to know whether there is any instance in the world where allegations against a person cannot be investigated.
“What I want to say is that there has been no influence of the government in the past, and there will be no such influence in the future either. Bangladesh’s judiciary is independent and the independent judiciary will take decisions based on evidence," said the state minister.
“They must have the guts and courage to accept the verdict,” he added, describing the development as “frustrating.”
The state minister for foreign affairs also said that calling for the suspension of court proceedings is “unheard of”.
“I do not think those who are joining in this call in favour of Prof Yunus are doing proper justice to their own reputation,” he said.
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The state minister also said that the government does not want to make any comment on an issue related to court proceedings.
More than 160 global leaders, including over 100 Nobel laureates, wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressing their deep concern about the safety and wellbeing of Prof Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s first and so far, only Nobel laureate.
Addressed directly to the PM, the letter is signed by Nobel laureates, elected officials, business figures, and civil society leaders. The signatories applauded Bangladesh’s remarkable progress since its independence in 1971. However, their collective concern arose from the “perceived threats to democracy and human rights” that have recently emerged within the country.
"We respectfully ask that you immediately suspend the current judicial proceedings against Prof Yunus, followed by a review of the charges by a panel of impartial judges drawn from within your nation, with some role for internationally recognised legal experts. We are confident that any thorough review of the anti-corruption and labour law cases against him will result in his acquittal,” the letter addressed to PM Hasina reads.