In the News: Atheist Niloy Neel murdered in Bangladesh

Niloy Neel – Fourth atheist activist murdered in a year in Bangladesh

Niloy Chowdhury Neel, an online activist and secularist protester, has been found dead in his home, according to early reports. He was decapitated and his hands had been cut off. …

Neel had posted on Facebook as recently as 13 May that he was followed after a public protest meeting, a protest to demand justice for previously murdered blogger Ananta Bijoy Das. After being followed, Neel became worried for his own security, as are a large number of writers and bloggers in Bangladesh who have expressed atheist or humanist views, or campaigned in opposition to fundamentalist Islamist politics.

Niloy was an organizer of a Science and Rationalist Association. He had completed a Masters in Philosophy from Dhaka University in 2013, before working for an NGO. He posted about his atheist views on Facebook and joined the wider protest movement against Islamist war criminals.

See also:

• Joint open letter to Prime Minister and President of Bangladesh
• Islamists Machete 4th Atheist Blogger To Death In Bangladesh, Secular Talk video commentary