News Deks, Bangladesh Global: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who was recently selected to lead the Bangladeshi caretaker government following the resignation of former authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Durbin first met Dr. Yunus more than 20 years ago during a trip to Bangladesh.
“Dr. Yunus’ ideas changed the world and helped earn him a Nobel Peace Prize. Tragically, his ideas also earned him the wrath of then-Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, whose government harassed Dr. Yunus for years with questionable legal charges and threatened jail time,” said Durbin.
“Thanks to the Bangladeshi people who believed in a better future, they demanded Dr. Yunus lead their interim government. Today, I once again offered my unweaving support for Dr. Yunus and urge President Biden to support him as well. I know Dr. Yunus has the best interests of the Bangladeshi people at heart and will do his utmost in this challenging time.”
In July, Durbin led three colleagues in releasing a statement denouncing the harassment against Dr. Yunus, calling on the Bangladeshi government to end the mistreatment of Dr. Yunus, and pull down the dubious charges he is facing. The statement followed a letter sent by Durbin and his colleagues calling on then-Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to end the harassment against Dr. Yunus. Earlier this summer, Durbin further expressed his support for Dr. Yunus in a speech on the Senate floor.
The harassment campaign against Dr. Yunus was denounced by more than 100 Nobel Prize winners, including former President Obama. Durbin led the effort in the United States Congress to award Dr. Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010, recognizing his pioneering contributions in the fight against global poverty. The Medal was later presented to Dr. Yunus in 2013. Durbin also visited Bangladesh in 2017, during which he visited with Rohingya refugees who had fled violence in neighboring Burma.
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