Commentary: Yunus the ‘guilty’, let facts speak
The Daily StarJan 02
Bangladesh: Nobel Laureate Sentenced to 6 Months in Jail
The Facts
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and three of his colleagues have been jailed for six months for violating Bangladesh's labor laws.
The Third Labour Court of Dhaka on Monday found that 67 employees of his company Grameen Telecom were neither granted permanent status, nor received welfare funds, though the company was supposed to allocate 5% of dividends to staff wages.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Yunus is the victim of Bangladesh's authorities targeting an outspoken critic of the Hasina government. One of the world's most respected names, there's no doubt that the charges against Yunus are fictitious. With 136 awards from 33 countries and state honors from 10 countries, the state's attack on Yunus should be considered a national embarrassment.
Pro-establishment narrative
The case against Yunus was brought against him by the workers of Grameen Telecom, not the Bangladeshi government, and it's nobody's fault but his that legal obligations were not fulfilled. With many more allegations and charges of financial corruption surrounding Yunus, it's natural that the professor should face the consequences of breaking the law like any other citizen.