A coalition of human rights representatives from around the world has formally appealed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, expressing deep concerns about the escalating human rights crisis in Bangladesh and questioning the moral leadership of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who has been serving as the Chief Adviser to the Jamaat-controlled government since August last year.
In a letter addressed to the committee on Sunday, the signatories highlight “an alarming deterioration of human rights conditions” in Bangladesh, including targeted violence against religious and ethnic minorities, destruction of homes and livelihoods, attacks on cultural and religious institutions, and systematic intimidation, particularly affecting women and children.
They describe these incidents as “organized and sustained abuses of fundamental human rights,” rather than isolated events.
Awami League Storms The Hague: Complaint filed against fascist Yunus at ICJ
Experts submit dossier to ICC, ICJ on systematic judicial violations under Yunus
Ex-FM Momen bins OHCHR report, asks UN chief to reinvestigate violence
The appeal emphasises that Dr. Yunus, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinance and poverty alleviation through Grameen Bank, has “not publicly exercised moral leadership commensurate with the gravity of this crisis.”
The letter states: “When an individual entrusted with both global moral authority and national responsibility remains publicly silent amid such suffering, that silence carries serious ethical consequences. Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality. It is a position with moral weight.”
Signatories include prominent figures such as Rev. Dr. Robert B. Lancia, a former legislator from the Rhode Island House of Representatives in the USA; Paulo Casaca, founder of the South Asia Democratic Forum in Belgium; Chris Blackburn of the European Bangladesh Forum in the UK; and Prof. Dr. Md. Habibe Millat, president of the Global Center for Democratic Governance (GCDG) in Canada, among others from Poland, Switzerland, and beyond.
Yunus’ Mobocracy: Extremists exploit Hadi’s death to stir anti-India sentiment
Strategic challenge worries India, but won’t extradite Sheikh Hasina
Chhatra League wants participatory election under neutral government
The letter urges the Nobel Committee and Foundation to “reflect on their ethical responsibility” and uphold the Prize’s integrity through “transparency, moral clarity, and the courage to confront suffering.” It concludes: “The victims in Bangladesh deserve recognition. Global conscience demands responsibility. And the Nobel Peace Prize must remain a symbol of justice, not silence.”
This appeal comes amid mounting international scrutiny of Bangladesh’s interim government, formed in August 2024 following a jihadist-army coup. Dr. Yunus was appointed as Chief Adviser to lead the country toward elections, but rights groups have reported persistent human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and crackdowns on dissent under amended anti-terrorism laws.
A Human Rights Watch report earlier this year noted that the regime change has not curbed abuse by state institutions, with new cases of political repression emerging.
Similar calls for the Nobel Committee to reassess Dr. Yunus’s legacy have surfaced in recent months. In December 2024, a group of 107 lawyers from Cachar, India, urged the committee to condemn minority persecution in Bangladesh, citing violations of peace principles.
Shashi Tharoor: Deeply concerned by mob rule under Yunus regime
Rahmani At Shahbagh: A disgraceful display of extremist mobilisation for Osman Hadi
That same month, Indian BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato wrote to the committee requesting a reassessment, amid reports of violence against Hindus and other minorities. Social media discussions, including posts from activists and journalists, have echoed demands to revoke Yunus’s prize over alleged human rights lapses.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has not yet responded to this latest appeal. Historically, the committee rarely comments on or revokes awards, with only one instance of a laureate returning a prize voluntarily. Dr. Yunus’ office has also not issued a statement on the letter, though he has previously defended his government’s efforts to restore stability amid ongoing challenges.
Human rights advocates argue that the situation in Bangladesh tests the Nobel Prize’s commitment to justice. “History will remember how institutions responded when human dignity was under siege,” the letter warns, calling for the committee to stand “firmly on the side of humanity.”
Bengali 
English