Muhammad Yunus, the recipient of the Nobel Prize, was sentenced to six months in prison by a Bangladeshi court for breaking the labor regulations of the nation.
Professor Yunus has been a strong opponent of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister.
Supporters of his claim that the lawsuit has political motivations.
The well-known economist was found guilty of neglecting to establish a welfare fund for his employees, along with three coworkers from Grameen Telecom, one of the companies he created. While their appeals are ongoing, all four have been given bail and deny any wrongdoing.
In a statement issued following the decision, Prof. Yunus stated, “As my lawyers have convincingly argued in court, this verdict against me is contrary to all legal precedent and logic.”
“I call for the Bangladeshi people to speak in one voice against injustice and in favour of democracy and human rights for each and every one of our citizens.”
Yunus, who is 83 years old and referred to as the “banker to the poor” worldwide, is recognized for having created a ground-breaking microloan system that has assisted in bringing millions out of poverty. In 2006, Prof. Yunus and his Grameen Bank shared the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their groundbreaking achievement.
Abdullah Al Mamun, one of his attorneys, discussed the decision with the BBC, saying, “It was an unprecedented judgement.” The matter was expedited through without following the proper legal procedures.”
“The whole idea is to damage his international reputation,” Mr. Mamun continued. We are contesting this decision in an appeal.”
According to Prof. Yunus’s attorneys, he is accused of graft and violating labor laws on over a hundred additional counts.
At one point, Ms. Hasina called Prof. Yunus a “bloodsucker” of the underprivileged and said that Grameen Bank was charging outrageous interest rates.
Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur and the former head of Amnesty International’s human rights division, was present at the verdict on Monday. She called the verdict “a travesty of justice” in an interview with the AFP news agency.
More than 170 prominent people from around the world urged Ms. Hasina to end Prof. Yunus’ “persecution” in August.
The letter demanded that Prof. Yunus’ “continuous judicial harassment” be ended. Signatories included U2 lead singer Bono, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ms. Hasina declared that she was happy to have foreign specialists evaluate the current legal actions taken against Prof. Yunus.
The reason behind the disagreement between Ms. Hasina and Prof. Yunus is unclear, but the economist’s admirers claimed the government was trying to discredit him because he had once thought of forming a political party to challenge the ruling Awami League.