Dr Yunus decries smear campaign from ‘powerful quarters’

Nobel peace laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus condemned what he says is a smear campaign driven by “powerful quarters”, telling French international news agency AFP that news outlets in the country have “falsely accused him of corruption” as he fights a slew of court cases. 

State-run media, news websites and social media have accused him of corruption and of financially aiding Israel, a flashpoint issue in Bangladesh, which does not recognize the country.

“I don’t want to name names, but I believe these are backed by powerful quarters”, he said in a statement to AFP, adding that he categorically denied the reports.

Yunus, who rarely comments on Bangladeshi matters after a brief foray into politics in 2007, said he was compelled to speak out after repeated allegations of corruption in an apparently coordinated media campaign.

“We have seen a network of social media pages and websites produce numerous false and fabricated contents with distorted photos and videos targeting me,” Yunus said. 

“They even attributed false quotes to me”.

‘Unprecedented level’

Abdullah Al Mamun, a professor of journalism at the University of Rajshahi, calling the smear campaign against Yunus “disgraceful”.

“Yunus has become a significant target because of his good ties with the Americans, who’ve ratcheted up pressure on the government for a free and fair election”, he said.

Bangladeshi media quoted a top official from the ruling Awami League, AJM Nasir Uddin, claiming Yunus had donated $10 million to Israel. 

The Bangla Insider website said in its story that information on the alleged donation came from an Israeli foreign ministry statement. But the ministry told AFP that no such statement exists. 

Bangla Insider editor Syed Borhan Kabir did not provide further information for his report, which Yunus dismissed as “fake news”.

“I ignored the campaigns with the hope that it will stop on its own. But in recent months the disinformation and smear campaigns have worsened to an unprecedented level,” Yunus said.

‘Judicial harassment’

Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Grameen Bank, which is credited with helping eradicate extreme poverty in Bangladesh by offering micro-finance loans to tens of millions of rural women.

He is now bogged down battling 175 separate criminal and labour tribunal cases related to social business firms he set up to create jobs and bring services to the poor.

His lawyers say he is innocent of all charges and decry the cases as government harassment.

Yunus appeared in court on Thursday for a case in which he is accused of violating labour laws. If found guilty, he faces up to six months in jail. 

In August, 160 global figures including former US president Barack Obama and ex-UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon published a joint letter condemning the “continuous judicial harassment” of the micro-credit pioneer.

The signatories -- including more than 100 of his fellow Nobel laureates -- said they feared for “his safety and freedom”. 

Source: AFP