The Education Research and Development Forum of Bangladesh (ERDFB) has said that the open letter issued by more than 160 global leaders to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calling for suspension of judicial trial against Prof Mohammad Yunus was an attempt to interfere with the judiciary of an independent country.

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“The Education Research and Development Forum of Bangladesh (ERDFB) believes that the judiciary of Bangladesh is completely independent and everything is governed by the law. An independent judiciary makes decisions based on evidence and there is no scope for anyone to interfere,” the statement reads

“According to Article 22 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, the judiciary is completely separate and independent from the executive," it said.

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The ERDFB called the letter a “threat to Bangladesh’s sovereignty.”

“We firmly assert that the rule of law exists in the country and no one is above the law. Making statements or letters about pending cases without knowing the law and judiciary of Bangladesh, without proper review, is an unconstitutional interference in the independent judiciary and judiciary of independent Bangladesh,” it said.

The organisation called on the signatories to withdraw the statement “out of respect for the independent judicial system of Bangladesh.”

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, the only Nobel laureate.

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"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 read