Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday, August 31 said the prominent personalities who signed an open letter to prime minister Sheikh Hasina, urging an end to the “persecution” of Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, might have thought that he was being harassed in Bangladesh politically, blaming an information gap.

While replying to a reporter’s question, Momen said,”You know that is not the case. We respect him as a Nobel laureate. We (the government) have not filed any case [against him]. We cannot even withdraw the case. Our judiciary is independent. I think there is an information gap,” he said, referring to the foreign dignitaries who signed the letter.”

The Minister said, “But we cannot take any proactive steps to inform them since it is a court issue. If they want to know the details, we will let them know. Maybe some people told them Dr.Yunus is being harassed. It is not possible for us to withdraw the case. The relevant court will make its own decision.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon the signatories to send international experts and lawyers to look into the case filed against Dr Yunus by his employees over alleged labour law violations.

 Expressing their concern, 175 eminent personalities, including 104 Nobel laureates, penned an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday, requesting a halt to judicial proceedings against Dr Muhammad Yunus. The letter, published on a blog dedicated to protecting Dr Yunus, also expressed concerns about his safety.