Withdraw case against Yunus: 301 lawyers, BNP supporters

As many as 301 Supreme Court lawyers, including BNP supporters urged to stop the harassment against Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Younus. At the same time they urged the authorities to withdraw all the ‘harassing cases’ against him.

These Supreme Court lawyers on Thursday urged this through a statement. At the end of the statement sent to the media, they said,” We, the lawyer community of the country, think Nobel peace prize winner Dr. Yunus is the victim of the vengeance of the current regime.

The legal harassment that is being done against him in the name of formal judgment utilising the state apparatus is distorting the image of Bangladesh profoundly throughout the world.

As lawyers we want security of all the citizens in the country and want to see the correct implementation of law. We are urging the authorities to withdraw all the ongoing harassment cases against world renowned Nobel laureate and pride of Bangladesh Dr. Muhammad Yunus and immediately stop the formal steps of punishment against him.

At the beginning of the statement signed by 301 lawyers, it is said, "The dream hero of the poverty stricken unemployed people of Bangladesh and the whole world, the pioneer of microcredit Dr. Md. Yunus has implemented the system of microcredit to solve the toughest and longest problem of the world- poverty alleviation- and the system is a unique example of changing the poverty-stricken society of the whole world, including Bangladesh. He has played a historic role in the economic empowerment of the backward women of the society.

Microcredit project is the result of an outstanding thought about poverty eradication that is acclaimed throughout the world. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is not only a proponent of microcredit, but during the War of Independence, he formed the 'Bangladesh Citizens Committee' to garner support for Bangladesh's liberation war. He has brightened the country's image in the international arena by winning the Nobel Peace Prize for playing a role in establishing peace in the world by eradicating hunger and poverty.

Mentioning that Dr. Md. Yunus has got an Independent Day award, Congress Gold Medal, International Gandhi Peace Prize, and Presidential Medal of Freedom along with many other awards, the statement of the 301 lawyers said, as citizens of Bangladesh they are proud of him.

The statement also said, “With profound concern we understand the current government has taken many oppressive and harassing steps driven by vengeance against this great warrior of hunger and poverty eradication."

The statement said that whoever the current government considers to be an opponent is oppressed through the use of state apparatus. The statement also said, "Many prominent persons and politicians under the current government's wrath have either been sentenced or are in prison in the so-called judicial process through false and harassing cases." The ongoing judicial process against Dr. Muhammad Yunus is biased, motivated and vegeance-driven.

Among the 301 lawyers who signed the statements are senior lawyers Jaynul Abedin, Subroto Chowdhury and A M Mahbub Uddin, lawyer Ruhul Quddus, Syed Mamun Mahbub, Gazi Kamrul Islam, Rezaul Karim, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Khan, Fariduzzaman, Mohammad Ali, Rafiqul Islam, A K M Ahsanur Rahman, Jahirul Islam, Mahdin Chowdhury, Redwan Ahmed, Anisur Rahman, Jamiul Haque etc.