Dangers of blogging in Bangladesh

A series of murders of secular bloggers by machete-wielding religious fundamentalists in Bangladesh has sent a clear warning for others to watch what they say. Vicky Baker looks at the bleak story so far, while Bangladeshi cartoonist Tanmoy (right) captures the growing fear

Cartoon on the dangers of blogging in Bangladesh by Dhaka-based artist Tanmoy, commissioned by Index on Censorship

BANGLADESHI SCIENCE WRITER Ananta Bijoy Das was supposed to be in Stockholm on the day he was attacked in his hometown, the north-east city of Sylhet, in mid-May. He had been invited to speak at an event discussing press freedom and extremism, but his visa was declined by the Swedish government, who worried he might overstay. Das was later killed, in daylight and in an open street, as he went to work at a local bank.

Das was a long-time contributor to Mukto-Mona (Free Thinker), a Canada-based website that discusses religion, beliefs and social justice. Its founder, Avijit Roy, was violently killed in a similar attack in February while walking with his wife in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. Another secular blogger, Washiqur Rahman Babu, was hacked to death in the city a month later.

Roy’s wife, Rafida Ahmed, who lost a thumb while trying to fight off the assailants, told Reuters in May: “What almost bothers me more is that no one from the Bangladesh government has reached out to me. It’s as if I don’t exist, and they are afraid of the extremists.”

The government has been largely silent on the deaths. Sajeeb Wazed, the son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said in an interview that his mother had offered private condolences to Roy’s father, but the political situation in Bangladesh was too volatile for her to make a public statement.

A year ago, Index on Censorship published an article on Blogging, Blasphemy and Bans in Bangladesh by author Salil Tripathi (Volume 43, 1). “Being a blogger is dangerous these days in Bangladesh”, it began, before detailing all the legal and violent threats outspoken writers face.

In the wake of the recent attacks, Tripathi told Index that the government couldn’t ignore the issue any longer: “The Bangladesh government cannot abdicate from its responsibility to protect people who are merely expressing their opinions peacefully. This cycle of violence must stop.”

© Vicky Baker

© Illustration: Syed Rashad Imam (Tanmoy)