US seeks fair, transparent legal process for Dr Yunus
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Washington says it shares concerns voiced by other international observers
The United States will encourage the Bangladesh government to ensure a "fair and transparent" legal process for Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus as his appeal process continues.
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, made the statement while replying to a question at a regular briefing on Monday.
"Look, we share concerns voiced by other international observers that these cases may represent a misuse of Bangladesh’s labour laws to – as a way to intimidate Dr Yunus," he said.
On January 1, Dhaka Labour Court 3 sentenced Grameen Telecom Chairman Dr Yunus and three of its senior officials to six months in jail and fined each Tk30,000.
After the filing of an appeal, the Labour Appellate Tribunal, on 28 January, granted Yunus and the three others bail.
The High Court on Monday following another appeal, however, ordered that they must inform the Labour Appellate Tribunal before going abroad.
Replying to a question on whether the US’s visa restriction policy still existed, Patel replied in the affirmative. “There is no change in policy.”
The policy was announced before Bangladesh’s general election to ensure that it was free and fair.