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

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  Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh's court as a threat to the rule of law.

"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 here today.

"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.