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Bangladesh has urged the United States to take appropriate action against those responsible for the alleged harassment of Nobel laureate and former interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said the government would strongly raise the matter with Washington to ensure that US law enforcement agencies investigate the incident, identify those involved and take necessary legal action.
“We strongly condemn this,” Kobir told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, describing the incident as unacceptable.
The incident occurred on Monday, October 12, when Yunus was leaving the airport in a wheelchair.
A video circulated on social media showed several people confronting him and shouting accusations, including that he had undermined democracy in Bangladesh.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had instructed Bangladesh’s mission in New York to bring the matter to the attention of local law enforcement agencies and pursue appropriate legal action against those responsible.
The government said the individuals involved were suspected of having links to the Awami League, whose political activities are banned in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s information and broadcasting adviser, Zahed Ur Rahman, also said the government would take necessary legal and administrative measures over the incident.
Following the incident, the Bangladesh Consulate General in New York provided protocol and security assistance to Yunus for onward travel to another US state, Consul General Mozammel Haque said.
The Bangladeshi government has stressed that harassment of any citizen abroad is unacceptable and that those responsible should be held accountable.
