Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sentenced to half a year in prison

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sentenced to six months in prison in Bangladesh for violating labor laws. The court ruled that the company founded by Yunus did not pay the required dividends to the employees, and the management did not form the necessary employee insurance fund. Yunus has not admitted his guilt, and his supporters consider his persecution to be politically motivated.

Economist Muhammad Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for the development of the microcredit system in Bangladesh. He founded the Grameen Bank, which issues microsubsidies at a low interest rate. They allow many Bangladeshis to survive – the country is one of the poorest in Asia. Yunus received the nickname “banker for the poor”.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikha Hasina Wazed, repeatedly spoke negatively about the activities of Yunus and his bank, accusing them of “sucking blood” from the poor. Other accusations were repeatedly brought against Yunus, including corruption and fraud.

Yunus’s lawyers claim that they are pursuing their client only in order to discredit him, especially before the upcoming parliamentary elections on January 7. After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Yunus announced his plans to participate in national politics. He refused the idea of ​​founding his own party, but continues political activity and is considered oppositional to the authorities.