Staff Reporter :
US Senator Dick Durbin, a prominent figure in the US Senate, expressed concerns about the potential negative impact on the United States-Bangladesh partnership due to the ongoing vendetta against Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Senator Durbin took to his official Twitter handle after a discussion with Bangladesh Ambassador to the US, Mohammad Imran, to share his views.
“The US values its relationship with Bangladesh, and I appreciate its help to Rohingya refugees. But a failure to end the vendetta against Muhammad Yunus will negatively impact that partnership,” he stated in his tweet.
During the meeting, Senator Durbin directly addressed the government of Bangladesh, urging them to cease the harassment targeting the Nobel Laureate. “In my meeting with Ambassador Imran, I called for an end to the harassment of Prof. Yunus,” he emphasised.
Earlier in January twelve US Senators including Dick Durbin in a letter urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to halt a continuous harassment of Dr Yunus.
In the letter, they expressed concern about the misuse of law and judicial system against critics of the government in Bangladesh. The letter was published on Senator Dick Durbin’s website.
Earlier, just after the 12th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh, ‘even though several million people participated peacefully, the election and the pre-election process were marred by violence and intimidation from opposition parties,’ said the four American senators, one of whom was Dick Durbin.
The trial of Dr Yunus has been highly critical by the west including the United Nations.
The UN has directly said that they have been closely monitoring the case of Dr Yunus, a dear friend of the United Nations.
Meanwhile, the United States has also been talking about the Yunus issue and urged the government not to harass the economist.
Even on March 11, US State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller said that the US government has expressed concerns surrounding the cases against Dr Yunus.
“The U.S. Government’s concerns surrounding the cases against Muhammad Yunus, including that they could represent a potential misuse of Bangladesh’s laws to harass and intimidate Dr Yunus,” he said.
Even on several occasions the United Nations said that the UN is closely following the case of Dr Yunus, who is a dear friend of the UN throughout his career.
