Dr. Avijit Roy was a Bangladeshi-American human rights activist and blogger known for his work defending freedom of thought and critical thinking.
In 2001, Roy founded a forum for Bengali freethinkers called Mukto-Mona. Roy’s mission for Mukto-Mona was “to build a society which will not be bound by the dictates of arbitrary authority, comfortable superstition, stifling tradition, or suffocating orthodoxy but would rather be based on reason, compassion, humanity, equality and science.” Within a few years of its formation, Mukto-Mona grew from a simply forum to a website featuring articles from Bengali, and even non-Bengali, activists and academics (more here).
In April 2013, in response to the Bangladeshi government arresting four atheist bloggers, Roy coordinated with Michael De Dora of the Center for Inquiry to organize worldwide protests for freedom of expression.
In February 2015, Roy revisited Bangledesh with his wife for the Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka. They were attacked but extremists armed with machetes; Roy died, and his wife barely survived.
Roy was the author of eight books. He also wrote articles for the Center for Inquiry’s magazine Free Inquiry. His last article, titled “The Virus of Faith,” can be accessed here.
In addition, Roy had earned a PhD in biomedical engineering from the National University of Singapore.
News
This section will be updated as news develops on this
case.
- CFI’s Michael De Dora Delivers Statement at UN Human Rights Council on Crisis in Bangladesh – June 24, 2016
- These Bangladeshi Bloggers Were Murdered by Islamist Extremists. Here Are Some of Their Writings. – April 29, 2016
- CFI Leads Coalition Effort to Urge State Department Engagement With Bangladesh Government – April 22, 2016
- Avijit Roy’s Books Dropped from Bangladesh Book Fair; Police Shut Down Vendor – February 19, 2016
- Couple Finds Sanctuary in Canada to Escape Killings of Writers in Bangladesh – February 12, 2016
- The Islamist War on Secular Bloggers in Bangladesh – December 14, 2015
- A Secular Publisher Is the Latest Bangladeshi Killed By Suspected Islamist Radicals – November 6, 2015
- Publisher of Secularist Books Murdered in Bangladesh: Center for Inquiry Demands Action – October 31, 2015
- Worldwide Protests for Free Expression in Bangladesh – September 29, 2015