21 Sep Avijit Roy
Blogger Avijit Roy warned that religious extremism was a virus that “will wreak havoc on society in epidemic proportions.” Based in the United States, Roy traveled to Bangladesh regularly for the national book fair and was attacked shortly afterward. An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on his life. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to demand justice. Four other secular bloggers and writers were murdered in Bangladesh in 2015, including Roy’s publisher, in unprecedented attacks on free expression.