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Human Rights Commissioner Strässer condemns murder of a blogger in Bangladesh
On the margins of his visit to Mexico, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, Christoph Strässer, issued the following statement on 27 February on the murder of blogger Avijit Roy in Bangladesh:
I was saddened and outraged to hear that blogger Avijit Roy had been murdered yesterday evening in Dhaka. I am deeply shocked by this cruel act; it constitutes an attack on freedom of the press and opinion in Bangladesh. I appeal to the Government of Bangladesh to take all steps necessary to capture the perpetrators and to protect those who exercise their right to freedom of opinion. I would like to extend my sympathy and condolences to Avijit Roy’s wife, who was seriously injured, as well as to his family.
Background information:
Avijit Roy, who lived with his wife in the United States, attended a book fair near Dhaka University on Thursday evening. According to news reports, two attackers later tore him and his wife out of their rickshaw and killed Mr Roy with a machete. His wife and another blogger Rafida Ahmed Bonya, who hurried to Mr Roy’s aid, were seriously injured. The perpetrators managed to flee the scene. In February 2013, blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed by suspected Islamists. The Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People enabled blogger Asif Mohiuddeen, who survived an attack by Islamists on 3 April 2013, to come to Germany shortly afterwards.