Twelve US Senators have written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, requesting her to cease what they said the ongoing harassment of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.
They urged to put an end to the practice of "abusing the justice system" to pursue government critics in general.
Professor Yunus has faced more than 150 unfounded charges launched against him in Bangladesh over the last decade, according to the Senators` letter yesterday.
Those who signed the letter include US Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and US Senator Todd Young (R-IN), along with US Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
According to the Senators, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have identified irregularities in Yunus` proceedings, including his most recent six-month prison sentence for allegedly violating the country`s labor laws.
According to these reputable organisations, the pace and frequency with which criminal proceedings are demonstrated politically motivated judicial abuses.
"Moreover, the repeated and sustained harassment of Yunus mirrors what many Bangladeshi civil society members also face in an increasingly restrictive environment," they said.
Durbin led the effort in the US Congress to give Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal in 2013, which recognized his pioneering contributions to the battle against global poverty.
The letter said the United States appreciates its long-standing partnership with Bangladesh, which includes close bilateral and multilateral coordination on a wide range of shared objectives.
"Ending the harassment of Professor Yunus, and others exercising their freedom of speech to criticise the government, will help continue this important relationship."
Durbin has consistently spoken out against other countries` administrations that limit democracy and free speech.
He recently spoke on the Senate floor and asked for the release of political prisoners from Russia, Belarus, Algeria, Cambodia, and Guatemala.
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