Online Desk: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said Bangladesh has an independent judicial process. “They can observe the process,” he told reporters regarding those who wrote a letter in favour of Nobel laureate Dr Yunus.

The state minister wanted to know whether allegations against any person cannot be investigated. “They must have the guts and courage to accept the verdict,” he said, describing the development as “frustrating.”

The state minister for foreign affairs also said calling for suspension of court proceedings is “unheard of” and mentioned that the court will take independent decision based on evidence. He said the government did not and will not influence the judicial process.

More than 160 global leaders, including over 100 Nobel laureates, wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressing their deep concern about the safety and wellbeing of Prof Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s first and so far, only Nobel laureate.

Addressed directly to the PM, the letter is signed by Nobel laureates, elected officials, business figures, and civil society leaders. The signatories applauded Bangladesh’s remarkable progress since its independence in 1971. However, their collective concern arose from the “perceived threats to democracy and human rights” that have recently emerged within the country.