Another critic of religious extremism hacked to death in Bangladesh

Militants have been known to target secularist writers in Bangladesh over the past few years. Last week, a blogger was murdered in Bangladesh, after people armed with machetes attacked him viciously. This is the fourth of killing of an online critic of religious extremism in six months, prompting calls to human rights groups for a swift and thorough investigation.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - An advocate of secularism, Niloy Chatterjee, 40, was slain at his flat in the capital Dhaka, according to police official Mustafizur Rahman. Imran Sarker, the head of a network of activists and bloggers stated, "We are speechless. He was demanding justice for the killing of other bloggers."

"Who will be next for demanding justice for Niloy?" Chatterjee was a critic of religious extremism that led to bombings in mosques and the killing of civilians. He used the pen-name Niloy Neel. Additionally, Chatterjee was one of the hundreds of bloggers who pushed forth a movement that wanted the death penalty for Islamist leaders accused of atrocities in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence.

A tribunal has imprisoned several senior leaders of an Islamist party, who diverged from the the breakaway of Bangladesh in 1971, then known as East Pakistan, from Pakistan, of various crimes.

U.N. human rights investigators and other several rights groups condemned Friday's killing and called for a detailed investigation. Amnesty International pressed Bangladesh to put forward a strong message that killings aimed at silencing nonconformist voices were shameful and would not be tolerated.

In February, assailants armed with machetes slaughtered a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin and critic of religious militancy, Avijit Roy. The attackers seriously injured his wife and fellow critic and blogger, Rafida Bonya Ahmed, after they left a book fair.

Washiqur Rahman, another secular blogger who publicized his outrage over Roy's death over social media, was killed in a similar fashion on March 30. Ananta Bijoy Das, who was also a secular blogger, was hacked to death two months later.

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