176 world leaders and Nobel laureates urge Bangladesh to halt legal cases against Peace Prize winner

By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — More than 170 global leaders and Nobel laureates are urging Bangladesh to suspend legal proceedings against Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the use of microcredit to help impoverished people. The leaders, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and more than 100 Nobel laureates, said they are deeply concerned by threats to democracy and human rights in Bangladesh. They expressed alarm at what they called judicial harassment of Yunus. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina responded that she welcomes international experts to visit and examine the legal proceedings. Hasina’s government began a series of investigations of Yunus after he announced he would form a political party in 2007.