Following the student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took refuge in India. Subsequently, an interim government was formed with Dr. Muhammad Yunus as its chief advisor. On January 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. A video circulating on social media claims that the U.S. has sanctioned Dr. Yunus and 19 others for allegedly dishonoring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina.

The video has been widely shared across multiple Facebook accounts, groups, and pages with similar captions. It contains clips of two different news presenters reading separate news reports. In the first clip, a presenter states, "U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on Dr. Muhammad Yunus and 20 others." In the second clip, another presenter says, "The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is preparing to suspend all aid programs in Bangladesh."

A Facebook page named "Md Jahid Hosen" shared the video on Friday at around 6:45 PM, and it quickly went viral. The caption read, "Alhamdulillah. The U.S. has declared Dr. Yunus a traitor. Sanctions imposed for insulting Bangabandhu and Sheikh Hasina." By Saturday at 4 PM, the video had been viewed 100,000 times, receiving 4,100 reactions, 520 comments, and 1,100 shares. Some users questioned its authenticity in the comments, while others accepted it as fact.

A user named "Rana Babu" commented, "Alhamdulillah Joy Bangla," while another, "Mohammad Nurul Absar," wrote, "Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu." "Raihan Kabir" commented, "Everyone say Alhamdulillah." The video was also posted with the same caption by Facebook accounts named "Bangladesh. Awami Jubo League," "Jamal Ahmed," and "Simu Sikder."

The fact-checking team of Ajker Patrika analyzed the news clips in the video separately. A Google search of the first clip's statement—"U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on Dr. Muhammad Yunus and 20 others"—revealed that the footage was taken from an ATN News YouTube report published on February 3. The original news segment discusses the spread of a misleading video on social media about sanctions on Dr. Yunus. A fact-checking organization, Rumor Scanner Bangladesh, confirmed that no such sanctions were imposed. The viral video had edited out this context to mislead viewers.

The second clip’s statement—"USAID is preparing to suspend all aid programs in Bangladesh"—was traced to a news bulletin from Jamuna Television on January 26. A search on Google led to a YouTube video where, at the 6-minute-50-second mark, a report discusses USAID’s directive to halt funding for ongoing projects in Bangladesh. However, the bulletin contained no information about Donald Trump imposing sanctions on Dr. Yunus or others.

To verify the claim, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website was checked for a list of recently sanctioned individuals. No names from Bangladesh, including Dr. Yunus, appeared in the sanctions database. Furthermore, no reputable national or international news sources reported on such sanctions.

Thus, the claim that U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on Dr. Muhammad Yunus and 20 others is false. The viral video was manipulated by cutting and repurposing segments from ATN News and Jamuna Television reports to create a misleading narrative.

Source: https://www.ajkerpatrika.com/fact-check/slip-of-tongue/ajp2zzmnq9sh3