February 26, 2015
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Avijit Roy is hacked to death with a machete for being a “blasphemer”

Roy had been a blogger, an advocate of free expression, and opponent of government censorship in Bangladesh. He created the blog Mukto-Mona which encouraged freethinking and was geared towards atheists, humanists, and skeptics of South Asian descent.

While attending a book fair with his wife, the couple was attacked by two machete-wielding assailants; Roy’s attacks landed primarily on his head while his wife suffered injuries to her shoulders and the fingers of her left hand were severed. His wife also claimed that during the attack police officers were present but neglected to intervene.

On May 3, 2015, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent claimed responsibility for the attack on Roy as well as the deaths of other “blasphemers.”