Bangladesh. Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has headed the interim government

Yunus, 84, flew to the capital, Dhaka, from Paris on Thursday. During a press conference at the airport, he said that “if you believe in me and trust me, I assure you that there will be no attacks in the country.” “This is our greatest responsibility,” he said. The Daily Star Bangla quoted the Nobel laureate's statement.

– The benefits of freedom must reach every home in Bangladesh – Yunus emphasized.

“I would like to point out that the country needs to be saved from chaos. Saved from violence, so that we can move forward on the path that the students have shown us,” he said. “Bangladesh can be a beautiful country. It has enormous potential, which has been destroyed. Now we need to prepare the foundation and rise up. You, the youth, will prepare the ground for this. We admire you and we will follow your guidance,” he added. At the same time, he promised that he would not use any repression against anyone.

The Nobel laureate was welcomed at the airport by the commander-in-chief of the Bangladeshi army, Waker-uz-Zaman, accompanied by the commanders of the navy and air force. Also present were the leaders of the student protests – the initiators of Yunus' candidacy for the position of prime minister of the interim government.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday, clearing the way for elections. A day earlier, 76-year-old Prime Minister Hasina Wazed, following anti-government protests she resigned and went to India.

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The student protests that led to her resignation began in June as a movement against the principle of quota distribution of government jobs, 30 percent of which were to go to relatives of veterans of the 1971 War of Independence.

The demonstrations became increasingly massive, and the repression became more brutal. More than 10,000 people were arrested and more than 300 were killed.

Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. He created a micro-lending system, low-value loans for people without creditworthiness or access to commercial banks. He also founded the micro-lending bank Grameen Telecom. Bangladeshi authorities accused him of violating labor laws and corruption; his supporters said the charges were politically motivated.

Yunus was convicted in the first instance by a Bangladeshi court, but was pardoned on Wednesday due to the change in government. The Nobel laureate was sentenced to six months in prison for misconduct in the performance of his duties. He was released after posting bail and left the country.