Joint open letter to Prime Minister and President of Bangladesh

The following open letter was released today, 2015-08-19, by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) to denounce the recent series of murders of “Bangladeshi citizens who profess humanist, atheist or secularist views.” Our organization Libres penseurs athées – Atheist Freethinkers is one of many signatories of this letter.

We reproduce here the entire English-language version of the letter as well as the entire list of signatories. For the Bangla language version, please see the original letter on the IHEU web site.

For the IHEU press release which accompanies this letter, please see: Huge alliance protests government response to Bangladesh blogger murders.

Joint open letter to Prime Minister and President of Bangladesh

To Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Abdul Hamid,

We, concerned members of the blogging and activist community of Bangladesh and internationally, along with representatives of human rights organisations and other civil society organisations and supporters, wish to protest in the strongest possible terms the institutional attack on Bangladeshi citizens who profess humanist, atheist or secularist views.

In the last two years, five bloggers (variously identifying as humanist, rationalist, atheist, and variously writing about science, humanist values, against Islamist extremism, or in favour of human rights and justice) have been murdered, hacked to death by assailants acting for fundamentalist militant groups (according to their own claims of responsibility). These victims are: Ahmed Rajib Haider, the science author Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das, and Niladri Chatterjee (pen name Niloy Neel). Four of these murders have occurred since February this year. In other cases, individuals like Jafar Munshi and Anjali Devi have been killed for alleged or perceived acts of ‘defamation of religion’, such as refusing to enforce hijab on students. And since 2013, supporters of the Shahbag movement and the war crimes justice process (the accused being Islamist leaders) have also been brutally murdered by similar Islamist entities. The victims include: Ashraful Alam, Arif Raihan Deep, Nurul Islam Faruki, Jagat Jyoti Talukder, Jakaria Babu.

The murderers and their ideological supporters are of course to be condemned and must be brought to justice.

In addition, instead of helping to confront this outrageous injustice, political and state institutions have begun blaming the victims themselves and making matters worse.

Following the murder of Niladri Chatterjee on 7 August, the Inspector General of Police engaged in victim-blaming, called for self-censorship, and threatened bloggers — the very people who are being murdered — with legal action under the current quasi-blasphemy law. Meanwhile, despite some counter-terrorism operations, the police have comprehensively failed to disrupt the networks that are ordering or carrying out these cowardly attacks. Even with two of the killers caught at the scene (after the murder of Washiqur Rahman) and claims of responsibility made openly on social media and via news outlets, still the attacks go on, and the extremists behind the killings remain at large. Instead of calling for vigilance and evidence against the murderers from the general public, police have instead encouraged the public to report alleged atheistic writings.

Faced with fresh death threats against numerous named Shahbag activists and others branded “enemies of Islam” in the week after the most recent murder, a police spokesperson told those threatened merely to “lodge police complaints” if they thought they were being followed! This is a grossly inadequate, highly negligent response to what is evidently a most serious and potentially fatal threat.

A number of Islamist groups, including Awami Olama League which is closely associated with your own Awami League party, have made new demands of death penalties for all atheist bloggers and activists, echoing the rhetoric of Islamist extremists in other parties. Obviously, this demand represents a gross violation of the rights of the non-religious to freedom of thought, and against freedom of expression generally and must be firmly and explicitly rejected.

Furthermore, your Cabinet Committee for Law and Order, headed by Minister of Industries Amir Hossain Amu, on their 9 August 2015 meeting decided “to declare Atheist authors as criminals”, thereby making them subject to prosecution, and intelligence agencies have been asked to monitor blogs to find those atheist writers. Even under the current law, such a mass arrest of people who profess non-religious views in their online communications would represent a grave violation of the international human rights obligations to which Bangladesh is committed. The Home Minister in a separate speech was seen repeating the same warning message.

These institutions and officials of the state through their current stances — demonising free expression, while appeasing murderous extremists — are destroying Bangladesh’s claim to be a democratic state that upholds the human rights of all citizens. To criminalize the expression of “anything that may hurt anyone’s religious sentiments or beliefs” (as the Inspector General of Police puts it) means in practice that fundamentalists and extremists can say and do anything they want, while anyone who stands for democracy, free expression, rationalism, justice, and human rights would be reduced to silence.

This is a recipe for a theocratic state in thrall to the most extremist members of society. People must be able to discuss and debate religion and politics, beliefs and practices. If they cannot, then injustice, fear and violence will reign.

To fail to confront and refute these oppressive and illiberal tendencies now, will mark the beginning of the end of Bangladesh as a free and democratic country.

We implore you to:

• ensure the safety and security of those individuals whose lives are threatened by Islamist extremists, including the witnesses and family members
• instruct the police to find the killers, not to harass or blame the victims
• disassociate yourself publicly from those who call for death penalties against non-religious Bangladeshis, and ensure using your executive authority that individuals within your party membership maintain the same standard of respect for freedom of conscience and expression
• work decisively for legal reform to repeal Section 295A of the Penal Code and section 57 of the ICT Act of 2006, in order to bring the legal system of Bangladesh in line with the spirit and values of freedom of expression and ‘of conscience’ as enshrined in the Constitution of Bangladesh, and as per obligations under the international human rights instruments to which Bangladesh is party.

Signatories

The signatories include threatened Bangladeshi bloggers and activists, representatives of organisations focused on human rights including freedom of expression or freedom of belief, religious and secular groups, and also individual writers, journalists, artists, academics and other professionals with Bengali connection or in solidarity.

• Abdul Muttalib — Retired Principal, Bangladesh
• Abir Shomudro — Student, Shahid Abdur Rab Serniabat Textile Engineering College, Barisal
• Abul Hasnat — Humanist; London, UK
• Adam Lagerqvist — Humanisterna, Sweden
• Adam Reakes — Producer and host, The Herd Mentality Podcast
• Aditi Kabir — Interpreter; Independent Translator
• Administrators of the Bangla Community Blog Alliance – BCBA
• Afrina Akhter Jesmin — Activist; Program Secretary, Bangladesh Short Film Forum
• Ahmedur Rashid Tutul — Publisher, Shuddhoshor
• Ajanta Deb Roy — Gonojahoron Moncho, UK
• Ajit Kumar Ray — Professor, North bengal University, West Bengal, India
• Ajoy Roy — Author; Academic; Human rights campaigner; Professor of Physics, retired, Dhaka University; editor, Muktanwesa; advisor, Mukto-Mona
• Alain Davis — Secularist Campaigner and Migrants Rights Activist, UK
• Alex Zakreski — Member, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression – CJFE
• Alice Carr — President, Progressive Atheists Inc.
• Alice Klein — President, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, CJFE
• Amanor B. Apenkro — President, Humanist Association of Ghana
• AmarBlog, amarblog.com
• Anders Stedtlund — Software Designer
• Andrew Copson — Chief Executive, British Humanist Association; President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Andrew Hobson — Blogger, Cyber Atheist
• Ani Zonneveld — Founder, President, Muslims for Progressive Values
• Anne-France Ketelaer — Vice-President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Ansar Ahmed Ullah — Secular Activist & Campaigner, UK
• Anu Muhammad — Chief editor, Sarbojonkotha; Member secretary, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources, Power and Port; Professor, Jahangirnagar University
• Anupam Shaikat Shanto — Sarbojokotha Editor; General Secretary, Bangladesh Short Film Forum
• April Jones — Freethinker, USA
• Argentine Humanist Association, Deodoro Roca
• Arifur Rahman — Blogger, arif.eu; Activist
• Arik Platzek — Editor, diesseits (The Humanist Magazine) Berlin, Germany
• Arman Rashid — Columnist; Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum-ICSF
• Arne Mobrand — Humanist Stockholm
• Arpita Bhowmik — Activist; Atheist and Humanist; Pharmaceutical Microbiologist, Japan
• Ashfaque Anup — Blogger; Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum
• Ashim Chakraborty — Journalist, Blogger
• Ashis Saha — PhD Researcher in Johns Hopkins University
• Ashley Davidson — Writer, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
• Ashoke Mukhopadhyay — General Secretary, Centre for Studies in Science and Society, Kolkata, India
• Ashraful Alam — member of Progressive Atheists Inc, Melbourne, Australia
• Ashraful Kabir — Research Coordinator
• Asif Islam Khan — Activist; Academic, University of California, Berkeley
• Asma Sultana — Visual Artist, Writer
• Atheist Alliance International
• Atheist Republic — atheistrepublic.com
• Austin Dacey — Philosopher; Human rights activist
• Ayella Collins — Humanist Empowerment of Livelihoods in Uganda
• Baidik Bhattacharya — Academic, Delhi University
• Barun P Mondol — IT professional
• Benjamin Ismaïl — Head of Asia-Pacific Desk, Reporters Without Borders
• Bo Borg — Humanisterna Sweden
• Bob Churchill — Director of Communications, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Brendan de Caires — Programs & Communications Coordinator, PEN Canada
• Brian D. Engler — Author and Humanist, Virginia
• Carolina Josefsson — Local chairman, Swedish Humanist Association
• Centre d’Action Laïque
• Chitralekha Saha — Consulate of France in Calcutta
• Christophe Deloire — Secretary-General, Reporters Without Borders
• Crispy Sea — Blogger; Author
• Cristina Iacob — Romanian Humanist Association
• David Curry — Prophetcast
• David Rand — President, Libres penseurs athées – Atheist Freethinkers, Canada
• Deana M Naraparaju — Blogger; Online Activist
• Debdas Anamoul — Blogger
• Dilshana Parul — Activist, Save the Children
• Dinky Daruvala — Associate professor , Karlstad University, Sweden
• Dipen Bhattacharya — Physicist, Riverside College District, California, USA
• Donna Van Toen — Author; East Hamilton Spiritual Church
• Douglas Bernard Wallis — Atheist, Humanist – Isle of Man, Great Britain
• Dr Jim Walsh — CEO, Conway Hall Ethical Society
• Dr Mahmudul Sumon — Associate Professor, Jahangirnagar University, Savar Dhaka Bangladesh
• Dr Meredith Doig — President, Rationalist Society of Australia
• Ekush Tapader — News Editor, Sylhettoday24.com
• Emily Newman — Communications Coordinator, American Ethical Union
• Eric Eriksson — Humanist, Sweden
• Erwin Kress — Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, HVD
• Erwin Kress — Vice-president, Humanist Association of Germany
• Esa Ylikoski — General Secretary, Union of Freethinkers of Finland
• Esha Karim — Swedish Institute Scholar
• Fahmidul Haq — Writer; Blogger; Academic, Factulty at Dhaka University
• Farid Ahmed — Author and Editor of Mukto-mona
• Farzana Kabir Khan — Blogger; Activist
• Felipe Galicia — Biologist
• Ferdaush Ahmed — Activist; Founder, Organisation for War Heroines, London
• Fran Kurth — Executive Director, Capital District Humanist Society, New York, USA
• Fredrik Idevall, — President Humanisterna Orebro, Sweden
• Garga Chatterjee — Columnist and Cognitive Scientist
• George Broadhead — Pink Triangle Trust
• Gitiara Nasreen — University of Dhaka
• Göran Björk — Humanisterna, Sweden
• Gordon MacRae — Chief Executive, Humanist Society Scotland
• Greg Epstein — Humanist Chaplain, Harvard University
• Gulalai Ismail — Chairperson, Aware Girls, Pakistan
• Gustaf Andersson — Humanist, Sweden
• Hana Shams Ahmed — Columnist, Activist
• Hans Kleine — Local chairman, Swedish Humanist Association
• Hasan Mahmud — Advisory Board Member, World Muslim Congress; General Secretary, Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Canada
• Hemant Mehta — Editor, Friendly Atheist
• Heriberto ‘’Pito’’ Rosario — Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture
• Hidde Gaastra — Atheist/Secular Activist, Master in Political Science
• Hironmoy Golder — Student, ASA University
• Hritohri Islam — Humanist; Activist; Student
• Humanist Society of New Zealand
• Humanist Union of Greece
• Ian Bushfield — Executive Director British Columbia Humanist Association
• Imad Iddine Habib — Atheist and Secularist Activist; Founder, Council of Ex-Muslims of Morocco
• Imran H Sarkar — Spokesperson, Gonojagoron Moncho
• Imtiaz Mahmood — Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
• International Crimes Strategy Forum
• Iqbal Nouyed — West Virginia University
• Irtishad Ahmad — Professor, Florida International University
• Jacques Rousseau — Chair: Free Society Institute, South Africa
• James Croft — Leader in Training, Ethical Society of St. Louis
• Jane Donnelly — Human Rights Officer, Atheist Ireland
• Jaseeb Ara Siddiqui — Creative writer; Painter
• Jawshan Ara — Ph.D. Researcher in Neuroscience, University of Maryland; writer, Mukto-mona
• Jay Grime — Atheist Blogger
• Jesmin Chowdhury — Teacher and Writer
• Jillian Hsieh — Humanist, Florida
• Jin-oh Choi — President, Launceston Skeptics Inc.
• Joakim Ströberg — local chairman, Swedish Humanist Association
• Joann Robertson — President, British Columbia Humanist Association
• Jodie Ginsberg — CEO, Index on Censorship
• John Hamill — Secretary, Atheist Alliance International and Atheist Ireland
• Jonas Nordström — Boardmember, Swedish Humanist Organisation
• Josh Kutchinsky — Membership Organiser, Central London Humanists
• Julia Julstrom-Agoyo — Secretary, Americas Working Group, IHEYO; Liaison to FES, Ethical Humanist Society of Greater Chicago
• Julie Begum — Chair, Swadhinata Trust, UK
• Juyel Raj — Journalist, Blogger
• Kaberi Gayen — Professor, Dept of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Dhaka
• Kajalie Shehreen Islam — Assistant Professor, University of Dhaka/Doctoral Candidate, SOAS, London
• Kaji Tamanna Keya — Activist; Student, Brandeis University, USA
• Kallol Mahalanabis — Mumbai,India
• Kallol Mustafa — Activist; Executive editor, Sarbojonkotha; Member, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources, Power and Port; Professor
• Kamrul Hasan Tushar — Gonojagoron Moncho, UK
• Kamrus Salam Shangshad — Former Vice President, Bangladesh Students’ Union
• Kaveh Moussavi — Academic, University of Oxford
• Kazi A. Mamun — Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Business Programs, School of Business Administration, University of California
• Kazi Mahboob Hassan — Medical Researcher; Writer; Member, CFI
• Khan Muhammad Bin Asad — PhD researcher, Astrophysics
• Khorshed Azam — Writer
• Khushi Kabir — Activist, Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Kristina Ekman — Humanisterna, Sweden
• Law’nence Miller — Trustee, New York Society for Ethical Culture
• Lawrence M. Krauss — Foundation Professor, Arizona State University, School of Earth And Space Exploration, Physics Department; Director, The Origins Project
• Leesa Gazi — Cultural Activist
• Leicester Secular Society
• Leon Korteweg — Board Member, Dutch Freethinkers Association, De Vrije Gedachte
• Magnus Kvist — Humanisterna, Sweden
• Magnus Timmerby — Board member, Swedish Humanist Association
• Mahbub Azad — Blogger; Moderator, Sachalayatan.com
• Mahbub Rubaiyat — Sarbojonkotha editor, Activist, Teacher
• Mahmud Hussein — Founder and CEO, L.E.A.D.; Associate Professor, San Francisco State University
• Mahmud Hussein — Founder, Global Secular Humanist Movement
• Mahmudul Haque Munshi — Blogger; Organizer, Shahbag protest
• Mahmuduzzaman Babu — Columnist, Singer, Activist
• Maidul Islam — Asst Professor in Political Science, Presidency University, Calcutta
• Mallarika Sinha Roy — Jawaharlal Nehru University, Centre for Women’s Studies, Delhi, India
• Manisha Chakravarty — Student, Dhaka
• Maria Greene — Executive Director, Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association
• Marie Alena Castle — Communications Director, Atheists For Human Rights
• Maruf Rosul — Blogger; Activist, Gonojagoron Monch
• Mary Bergin — member, Humanist Society of Victoria, Australia
• Maryam Namazie — One Law for All, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, and Fitnah – Movement for Women’s Liberation
• Masuda khan — Student, USA
• Mats Linde — Teacher and humanist, Sweden
• Max Farrar — Emeritus Professor, Leeds Beckett University, UK
• Mazidur Rahman — Civil Servant and Unionist
• Md Habibur Rahman Salman — PhD Student
• Md Ibrahim Faisal — Computer Engineer, Chandler, Arizona, USA
• Mervyn Thomas — Chief Executive, Christian Solidarity Worldwide
• Michael De Dora — Director of Public Policy, Center for Inquiry
• Michael Nugent — Chairperson, Atheist Ireland
• Miraj Ul Islam — Physician, Columnist
• Mohammad Haroon — Secretary, Coalition on Rights & Responsibilities of youth , Peshawar, Pakistan
• Mohammad Jawed Iqbal — Activist
• Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan — Sarbojonkotha editor, Associate Professor, Dhaka University, Bangladesh
• Mohonlal Siddiquee — (Pen name) Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
• Moinul Hossain — Secular activist
• Moira Clarke — President, Reason Road Inc.
• Mostafa Farook — Activist, London, UK
• Mozibul Hoque Moni — Vice-President, JASOD-UK
• Muhammad Golam Sarowar — Blogger; Activist
• Muhammad Syed — President, Ex-Muslims of North America
• Muktangon Blog, nirmanblog.com
• Mukto-Mona
• Muntakim Haque — Blogger; Activist
• Mynga Futrell — Bright; Civic Pluralism Activist
• Nabeel Ashraf Ali — International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
• Nafisa Asif — Humanist; Researcher, University of Sydney
• Nagorik Blog, nagorikblog.com
• Nancy Drew — Atheist activist; Blogger, Question With Boldness
• Nani Jansen — Legal Director, Media Legal Defence Initiative
• Nasreen Rahim — President, Bangladesh-American Democratic Coalition, BADC
• Naushaba Rashid — Activist; Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo
• Nazmul Ahmed — Physician & Political Activist
• Nicola Young Jackson — President, International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation
• Nijhoom Majumdar — Lawyer and Blogger, Member ICR Foundation
• Nina Sheth — Law Student NYU Law
• Nira Yuval-Davis — Professor and Director, Centre for Research on Migration, Refugees and Belonging, University of East London, UK
• Nowrin Tamanna — Academic, University of Reading; justice activist
• Olof Stroh — local chairman, Swedish Humanist Association
• Ontario Humanist Society
• Ophelia Benson — Blogger; Columnist
• Oscar Ekman — Humanisterna, Sweden
• P Das Babu — Activist
• Paul Chiariello — Educator, Managing Editor Applied Sentience
• Paul Sating — Creator and Host of Quranify Me Podcast & Atheist Apocalypse Podcast
• Paul V Dudman — Archivist and Refugee and Migrants Rights Activist, University of East London, UK
• Peter Harrison — President, New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists
• Peter Tatchell — Human rights campaigner; Peter Tatchell Foundation
• Petri Karisma — Chairman, Union of Freethinkers of Finland; Co-founder, eroakirkosta.fi
• PG Petzen — Swedish Humanist Association
• Pierre Galand — President, European Humanist Federation
• Pradip Deb — Melbourne, Australia
• Predrag Stojadinovic — Vice-president, ‘Atheists of Serbia’
• Probir Kumar Sarkar — Senior Sub editor, Dhaka Tribune
• Prof. Dr. Frieder Otto Wolf — Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, HVD
• Prof. Udo Schuklenk — Ontario Research Chair, Queen’s University
• Pushpita Gupta — Activist, Secular Bangladesh Movement
• PZ Myers — Blogger; Biologist, University of Minnesota Morris
• Rafee Shams — Social Worker, Mrittika
• Rafida Bonya Ahmed — Author; Mukto-Mona Editor
• Raihan Abir — Editor, Mukto-Mona
• Rajarshi Debnath — Financial Consultant
• Rajib Halder — Student, Mathematics Department, Govt. BM College, Barisal
• Rajib Sarkar — Humanist, USA
• Rakibul Hasan — Filmmaker, Activist & Blogger
• Rana Yasmin — Blogger; Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum-ICSF
• Rashad Ullah — Academic, Mukto-Mona Member, Washington, DC
• Rasheda Khan — Social Scientist, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
• Ratan Kumar Samadder — ICORN Guest Writer
• Rayhan Rashid — Academic, Rights Activist; Blogger; Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum-ICSF, Bangla Community Blogs’ Alliance-BCBA
• Rayhana Sultan — Activist, Council of Ex-Muslims UK
• Rebecca Hale — President, American Humanist Association
• Rebecca Jane Prescott — Atheist, Blogger, Isle of Man, Great Britain
• Rein Zunderdorp — First Vice-President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Renate Bauer — President, Dachverband Freier Weltanschauungsgemeinschaften e.V., Germany
• Riaz Osmani — IT Professional, LGBT and ex-muslim activist
• Richard Carrier — Historian and Philosopher, FreethoughtBlogs
• Roar Johnsen — Treasurer, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Robyn Pennacchia — Atheist, Blogger at The Frisky
• Roger Moody — Nostromo Research
• Rolf Söderlund — Retired, IT Professional
• Romanian Secular-Humanist Association
• Ron Soloman — Vice-President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Roy Brown — Past President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Roy Speckhardt — Executive Director, American Humanist Association
• Rumana Hashem — Activist-Sociologist and Post-doctoral Researcher, University of East London
• Rumman Mahmud — Justice Activist; Software Engineer, Cisco Systems
• Russell Blackford — philosopher and author, University of Newcastle, Australia
• Ryan Croom — Student, USA
• Ryan Evans — Student, USA
• S D Mistree — Poet
• Sabbir Hossain — Coordinator, Bangladesh Liberation War Library and Research Centre; Convenor Member, Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971
• Sabine Remling — MSc Marketing Manager, Sweden
• Sachalayatan, sachalayatan.com
• Saki Chowdhury — Activist
• Sakti Das MD — Blogger; Member, Foundation for Freedom
• Saleh Mustafa Jamil — Teacher and Human Rights Activist
• Salmin Sultana — Justice Activist; Archivist; Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum
• Samina Luthfa — Teacher, Dhaka University
• Samira Rahman — Civil Servant and Community Worker
• Samira Shackle — Assistant Editor, New Humanist Magazine
• Sangita Ghosh — Journalist, Bangladesh
• Sara Hosain — Barrister
• Sarah Haider — Co-founder, Ex-Muslims of North America
• Sarto Blouin — President, Humanist Foundation of Quebec
• Sazedul Waheed — Student
• Scott Sharrad — President, Council of Australian Humanist Societies inc.
• Sean Jones — Humanist, USA
• Sean McGuire — Blogger, My Secret Atheist Blog
• Semanti Ghosh — Associate Editor, Anandabazar Patrika, India
• Shabnam Nadiya — Writer
• Shaheen Sultana — Community worker
• Shahid Khan — Vice-Chairperson, Global Minorities Alliance, UK
• Shaista Erum — Secretary, Global Minorities Alliance, Glasgow, UK
• Shamim Ahmed — Development Economist
• Shamim Ahmed Lasker — Blogger; Online Activist; Assam, India
• Shane Squires — Physicist, USA
• Shawan Mahmud — Member Secretary, Martyr Altaf Mahmud Foundation
• Sheila Ayala — Secular Ontario
• Shelby Perez — Human Rights Activist, USA
• Shimon Sharmin — Blogger; Translator
• Shohini Ghosh — Sajjad Zaheer Professor, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
• Shuvo Shaha — Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
• Sidmennt, The Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association
• Smrity Azad — Chair, Docklands Light Theatre, UK
• Sohail Chowdhury — Blogger; Writer
• Sonia Dattaray — Atheist, USA
• Sonja Eggerickx — Past President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Sotiris Angel — Entrepreneur, UK
• Soumen Halder — Businessman, India
• Stephen Stuart — Secretary, Humanist Society of Victoria
• Steve Hayes — Prophetcast
• Stewart Henderson — Blogger; Treasurer, Council of Australian Humanist Societies
• Suhana Zaman — Humanist, London
• Sumon Nath — Blogger
• Suraiya Rahman — Student, Dhaka
• Suranjit Das — Activist; Business man
• Susan Sackett — Vice-President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
• Sushanta Das Gupta — Blogger
• Swakkhar Shatabda — Teacher
• Swami Manavatavadi, Sadhvi Asha Manav, and Dr. Sabita Mishra — Manavatavadi Vishwa Sansthan, The International School of Humanitarian Thoughts and Practice, Kurukshetra India
• Syeda Najnin Sultana Shikha — Women’s Right Activist, Nari Chetona
• Tahsin Tabbassum Kotha — Student, Govt. College of Commerce, Chittagong
• Tanuja Bhattacharjee — Poet; Blogger; Engineer
• Tarek Fatah — Author
• Taslima Nasreen — Author; Physician; Blogger
• Tasnim Hossain — Software Engineer
• Tejmur Šihmamedov — President, The Secular Circle’
• The Board of Directors of Humanist Canada
• Trisha Ahmed — Student, USA
• Ulf Gustafsson — Blogger, Swedish Humanist Association
• Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionalisti — NGO, Italy
• Uttam Niraula — Executive Director, (Society for Humanism) SOCH Nepal
• Valter Eriksson — Physiotherapist, Sweden
• Veronica Abbass — Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Atheist
• Vidya Bhushan Rawat — Social Development Foundation, Delhi
• Vishwajeet Samuel Gain — Student, La Martiniere Calcutta, India
• Yamen Hoque — Blogger; Humanist; State College, PA, USA
• Zoe Hamilton — Atheist, USA