Foreigners' open letter favouring Yunus a threat to rule of law: 14-party

Central 14-party alliance leaders considered the open letter issued by some local and foreign persons to the Prime Minister with an illegal and illogical demand to stop the ongoing trial proceedings against Dr Yunus in Bangladesh's court as a threat to the rule of law, reports BSS.
"Bangladesh is an independent sovereign state. The judiciary of this country is completely independent. All types of judicial proceedings are conducted following the existing laws of the country," they said in a statement issued by Awami League (AL) Liberation war Affairs Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das in the city on Thursday.
"Such ill-effort to obstruct any judicial proceedings is contrary to the constitution and law," the 14-pary leaders said, adding that those, who were directly affected by Dr Muhammad Yunus, have a constitutional right to seek justice.
"The proposal to stop the ongoing trial proceedings obstructing the constitutional rights is not acceptable at all.
Such arbitrary demand is tantamount to contempt of court," they said.
The central 14-party leaders believe that any person or organization respecting the rule of law and human rights cannot raise a demand to block the way of getting justice by an aggrieved or oppressed person, the statement read.
"The demand of foreign persons to stop the trial of any ongoing case is not only interference in the judiciary but also an attack on the sovereignty of an independent country," the 14-party leaders said.
The people affected by Dr Yunus have filed cases to the courts seeking legal redress and the trial proceedings are going on through the legal procedure, they said.
As per the principle of the rule of law, everybody irrespective of political or social identity is equal before the law.
"If anyone commits a crime, he must face the law. Criminal laws are equally applicable for everyone in the country. If anyone won the Nobel Prize, he cannot go above the law," they said.
The 14-party leaders said many Nobel laureates in different countries of the world have been sued and prosecuted according to the laws of those countries.
As per the country's constitution and laws, Dr Yunus is enjoying the right to defend himself as he is moving freely on getting bail from the court through his hired lawyer, they said, adding that the cases against Dr Yunus have no connection with politics.
It is by no means expected from any conscious person to issue such a statement that affects the normal course of law, judiciary and the court, the statement said, adding such undue interference and illegal initiatives are nothing but unwanted interference.
"In the previous years, we were surprised to notice that domestic and foreign evil forces exerted pressure on Bangladesh to stop the trial proceedings of the infamous war criminals, who committed crimes against humanity during the great Liberation War in 1971," the 14-party leaders said.
Issuance of a motivated statement to stop the ongoing trial proceedings against Dr Yunus, which aimed at realizing sectarian and geopolitical interests, have deeply disappointed the democracy-loving and progressive people as well as the conscious civil society members in Bangladesh, they added.
Every patriotic citizen of the country believes that Bangladesh is committed to establish the rights of justice for any victim affected by Dr Yunus or any other person, the statement read.
The 14-party leaders said successful statesman Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has established the rule of law instead of the culture of impunity in this country.
"An independent judiciary has been established. The present government is determined to establish the rights of the people to get justice," they said.
They urged everybody to refrain from issuing such statement or pursue any activities that would hinder or affect the independence, sovereignty, constitution, law and judicial system of Bangladesh.