DW Asia | G20 Summit to test India’s increasing global clout

In this edition: Hot on the heels of talks by emerging market BRICS nations, India is hosting the G20 summit this weekend. A snub by Beijing is just one test facing world leaders.

Plus: Global leaders have condemned a litany of charges against microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunus as judicial harassment and warned of a larger threat to democracy. The government of Bangladesh has rejected the concerns.

On the ground in Islamabad: Teenagers and young men are increasingly taking part in violent attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan. Psychologists say they lack emotional maturity and are being taken advantage of by extremist groups.

DW on YouTube: Every week we feature a long-form, Asia-focused video from DW’s YouTube channels. This week, check out “Climate change – Averting catastrophe” from DW Documentary.

These stories and more in today’s DW Asia newsletter.

– DW Asia team

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Read Arafatul Islam’s report

Over 170 global leaders and Nobel laureates have urged Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to suspend legal proceedings against economist Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his social development work but has faced legal pressure at home for years. 

In an open letter dated August 27, leaders, including former US President Barack Obama, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and more than 100 Nobel laureates, said they were deeply concerned by threats to democracy and human rights in Bangladesh.

“One of the threats to human rights that concerns us in the present context is the case of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. We are alarmed that he has recently been targeted by what we believe to be continuous judicial harassment,” the letter read.

On Tuesday, the UN also voiced alarm at using legal proceedings in the South Asian country to intimidate and harass rights advocates and civil society leaders, including Yunus.

“Yunus has faced harassment and intimidation for almost a decade. He currently faces two trials with potential prison sentences, one on charges of violating labor laws, and the second for alleged corruption,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement.

Some political observers in Bangladesh say Hasina became infuriated when Yunus announced he would form a political party in 2007 when a military-backed government ran the country. However, briefly after the announcement, the economist retreated from his plan and hasn’t since shown any interest in politics.

“Our PM still believes Yunus is behind every problem she faces internationally, including the World Bank’s withdrawal of the country’s largest bridge loan and recent international pressure for a free and fair election. We simply don’t know why she thinks so because no credible supporting evidence has even been offered by the government,” Asif Nazrul, a law professor at the University of Dhaka, told DW. 

Yunus’ lawyer, Al Mamun, thinks the lawsuits are meant to defame the economist’s global reputation as an innovator in solving critical social issues.

“There was no reason to file a criminal lawsuit against him on labor law issues. It could merely be a civil lawsuit. Also, he was accused in a case of embezzling funds, but he had no connection to it. Both cases were directly filed by the government against him,” the lawyer said.

Read the rest of Arafatul’s report

Read S. Khan’s report

The attacks on Christian minorities in the town of Jaranwala, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, last month by mobs of angry Muslim men shattered many lives and put the spotlight once again on Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws.   

The violence erupted when torn pages of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, were found near a Christian settlement with allegedly blasphemous content written on the pages.  

Allegations of blasphemy frequently incite violent mobs in the Muslim-majority nation. 

But victims, rights activists and social scientists say the participation of so many boys and young men in the attacks was shocking and unusual. 

“Boys as young as 14 were part of the mobs that were attacking and burning down churches. My own house was looted, and two goats, a laptop and jewelry were also stolen,” Asif Mahmood, a 44-year-old Christian man from the Essa Nagri area of Jaranwala, told DW.  

He said more than 50% of the attackers were youth, including teenage boys.  

Read the rest of Khan’s report

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