Amnesty condemns Yunus' conviction, calls it a blatant abuse of justice system

The conviction of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is an abuse of the justice system to settle political vendetta, Amnesty International has said.

"Amnesty International believes that initiating criminal proceedings against Muhammad Yunus and his colleagues for issues that belong to the civil and administrative arena is a blatant abuse of labour laws and the justice system and a form of political retaliation for his work and dissent," read a statement published by the organisation on its X handle, formerly known as Twitter on Monday.

A Dhaka Labour court on Monday convicted Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and three of his colleagues under the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 and sentenced them to six months' imprisonment.

Amnesty International said the conviction of Yunus showcases the difficult situation of human rights in Bangladesh, where the authorities have eroded freedoms and bulldozed critics into submission.

The unusual speed at which the trial against Muhammad Yunus was completed stands in stark contrast to the snail-paced progress in other labour rights-related court cases in Bangladesh, it further said.