Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz has been quoted by BBC News and BBC Bengali News on the statement of global figures calling on Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to stop the persecution of the country’s only Nobel Laureate Professor, Muhammad Yunus. He is facing more than a dozen cases including some filed by the government.
More than 170 global figures, including 106 recipients of Nobel Prizes, expressed concerns about the move. Riaz told the BBC that Hasina “deeply resents” Yunus’ iconic standing in the world, even though he has not recently expressed any political ambitions. Riaz told the BBC, “The sudden rush in filing the cases and trying to get a speedy trial indicates that fairness and justice are not the objectives but instead making an example out of him is the goal.”
Riaz was also quoted in a news report of the BBC Bengali service where he said that the open letter to the prime minister is prompted by the current political situation in Bangladesh. He said, “Due to the lack of democracy and lack of good governance in Bangladesh, there is a concern in the international community that Yunus will not get justice.”
