Amnesty International has condemned the conviction of Bangladesh's Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus by a Dhaka labour court, calling it "emblematic of the beleaguered state of human rights" in the country where critics are "bulldozed" into submission.
The 83-year-old economist was on Monday sentenced to six months in jail by a court for violating the labour laws, which was termed as "politically motivated" by his supporters ahead of the January 7 general elections. He sought bail after the ruling, which he was granted immediately for a month in exchange for a Taka 5,000 ($45) bond.
Mr. Yunus and three of his colleagues in Grameen Telecom — one of the firms he founded — were accused of violating labour laws when they failed to create a workers' welfare fund in the company.
In a post on the social media platform X, Amnesty International's South Asia regional office said, "The conviction of Yunus is emblematic of the beleaguered state of human rights in Bangladesh, where the authorities have eroded freedoms and bulldozed critics into submission."
The human rights organisation said that the unusual speed at which the trial against Mr. Yunus was completed starkly contrasts the "snail-paced progress" in other labour rights-related court cases in the country.
"The abuse of labour laws and misuse of the justice system to settle political vendettas is a violation of international human rights law," it said.
Mr. Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty campaign, earning Bangladesh the reputation of being the home of microcredit through his Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983.
Dhaka's Third Labour Court on Monday ordered Yunus to serve six months of simple or non-rigorous imprisonment for violating the law as the Grameen Telecom chairman, along with three other executives of the social business company.
A Taka 25,000 fine ($227.82) was also slapped on each of them before they were granted bail upon submitting separate petitions.
Describing the judgment as "politically motivated", his supporters said the charges were filed to harass him.
The economist was on a protracted row with the incumbent government due to obscure reasons. The government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched a series of investigations against him after coming to power in 2008.
Many people believe that Hasina became enraged when Yunus announced he would form a political party in 2007 when the country was run by a military-backed government and she was in prison.
However, Mr. Yunus did not follow through on the plan but criticised politicians in the country, alleging they were only interested in making money.
The Nobel laureate is also facing a series of charges relating to labour law and misappropriation of money.
