A spokesperson for Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told reporters on Tuesday that those responsible for confronting Muhammad Yunus at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York would face legal consequences, hours after footage of individuals shouting slogans at the former interim government chief circulated across social media platforms. Zahed Ur Rahman stated that the matter would be pursued through formal channels.
The government's information and broadcasting adviser described the unrest as acts of political violence by a specific party, adding that those responsible would face prosecution, and put overseas party members on notice that any further provocations would be met with a formal legal response.
Zahed also addressed the harassment experienced by actress and activist Ajmeria Haque Badhon during her time in Italy, stating that the matter was not in dispute.
Lamiya Morshed, who held a position in the previous interim administration, walked beside Yunus and carried his bags, while a separate individual pushed him in a wheelchair as the group made their way out of the terminal. Demonstrators directed accusations of terrorism and murder at Yunus aloud as he passed.
Yunus offered no reply and appeared uncertain as those present directed questions at him, including demands to know the reason for his presence and an assertion that thousands of police officers had been killed in the speaker's country. Faced with the verbal altercation, the escort swiftly redirected the wheelchair back through the terminal.
Media reports indicate that Yunus travelled to the United States on a personal trip approximately one month after withdrawing, citing health reasons, from a planned appearance at a World Health Organisation conference in Berlin. That withdrawal had come amid objections and petitions from a number of Europe-based organisations and expatriate Awami League supporters.
Yunus and the administration he led are contending with accountability questions spanning public opinion, the courts, and political circles regarding the government's response to a measles outbreak that has taken the lives of 1,170 children according to official tallies. UNICEF reported in May that ten advisories delivered to the transitional government over the course of that period had gone unheeded, attributing the disease outbreak's onset to hold-ups in the vaccine procurement process.
A rise in measles cases came after the transitional administration moved away from UNICEF-managed vaccine procurement, replacing that arrangement with an open tender process. Shortages of vaccine doses developed after the rollout of the updated system encountered administrative delays during the transition period.
On 8 August 2024, an interim administration headed by Yunus assumed governmental authority in Bangladesh, following the Awami League's loss of power under Sheikh Hasina, and continued across the eighteen months thereafter. A special tribunal convened proceedings against Hasina in her absence during 2025, ultimately handing down a capital punishment verdict. The transitional administration subsequently moved to dissolve her Awami League party and filed a formal extradition request with India.
