chunk_id
stringlengths
3
9
chunk
stringlengths
1
100
31_48
Iqbal in publicly expressing their solidarity with the arrested bloggers.
31_49
Murder
31_50
In 2015, Roy went to Dhaka with his wife Bonya during the Ekushey Book Fair. On the evening of 26
31_51
February, he and Bonya were returning home from the fair by bicycle rickshaw. At around 8:30 pm,
31_52
they were attacked near the Teacher-Student Centre intersection of Dhaka University by unidentified
31_53
assailants. Two assailants stopped and dragged them from the rickshaw to the pavement before
31_54
striking them with machetes, according to witnesses. Roy was struck and stabbed with sharp weapons
31_55
in the head. His wife was slashed on her shoulders and the fingers of her left hand were severed.
31_56
Both of them were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where Roy was pronounced dead around
31_57
10:30 pm. Bonya survived. In an interview with BBC's Newshour, she said that police stood nearby
31_58
when they were attacked on the spot but did not act.
31_59
In a Twitter post on the day after his death, an Islamist group, calling itself Ansar Bangla-7,
31_60
claimed responsibility for the killing. Ansar Bangla-7 is said to be the same organization as
31_61
Ansarullah Bangla Team. A case of murder was filed by Roy's father without naming any suspects at
31_62
Shahbagh thana on 27 February 2015. According to police sources, they are investigating a local
31_63
Islamist group that praised the killing.
31_64
Avijit's body was placed at Aparajeyo Bangla in front of the Faculty of Arts building (Kala Bhavan)
31_65
at Dhaka University on 1 March 2015 where people from all walks of life, including his friends,
31_66
relatives, well-wishers, teachers and students, gathered with flowers to pay their respect to the
31_67
writer. As per Roy's wish, his body was handed over to Dhaka Medical College for medical research.
31_68
On 6 March 2015, a four-member team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) along with
31_69
members of the detective branch of Bangladesh Police inspected the spot where Roy was killed. The
31_70
FBI members collected evidence from the site and took footage to help in the investigation.
31_71
On 3 May 2015, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) claimed responsibility for
31_72
the murder of Roy and the deaths of other "blasphemers" in Bangladesh in a report published by SITE
31_73
Intelligence Group.
31_74
Arrests
31_75
On 2 March 2015, Rapid Action Battalion arrested Farabi Shafiur Rahman, a radical Islamist. It was
31_76
suspected by the police that Farabi had shared Roy's location, identity, family photographs, etc.
31_77
with the killer(s). Farabi had threatened Roy several times through blogs and social media sites
31_78
including Facebook. He said that Roy would be killed upon his arrival in Dhaka.
31_79
Bangladesh's government decided to seek help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to
31_80
investigate the murder of Roy. The decision was taken following an offer by the United States.
31_81
On 18 August 2015, three members of Ansarullah Bangla Team, including a British citizen, named
31_82
Touhidur Rahman who police described as "the main planner of the attacks on Avijit Roy and Ananta
31_83
Bijoy Das", had been arrested in connection with the two murders.
31_84
In February 2021 five leaders and members of banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam were sentenced
31_85
to death and another to life in prison over the brutal murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy.
31_86
Reactions
31_87
After the death of Roy, several students, teachers, bloggers and around the country gathered at
31_88
Dhaka University, demanding quick arrest of the killers. The Mukto-Mona website bore the message in
31_89
Bengali "We are grieving but we shall overcome" against a black background.
31_90
Secretary-General of the United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the killing and
31_91
said "On the attack of the blogger, we spoke to our human rights colleagues who obviously condemned
31_92
the attack and expressed the hope that the perpetrators will be quickly brought to justice through
31_93
the due process of law."
31_94
The head of Reporters without Borders Asia-Pacific stated "We are shocked by this act of barbarity"
31_95
and added "It is unacceptable for [police] to spend so much time searching news outlets, arresting
31_96
journalists, censoring news and investigating bloggers, when the many attacks on bloggers are still
31_97
unpunished."
31_98
The CEO of Index on Censorship, Jodie Ginsberg, said: "Our sympathies are with the family of Avijit
31_99
Roy. Roy was targeted simply for expressing his own beliefs and we are appalled by his death and
31_100
condemn all such killings."
31_101
The Asia Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists stated "This attack is
31_102
emblematic of the culture of impunity that pervades Bangladesh, where the lack of accountability in
31_103
previous attacks on the press continues to spurn a deadly cycle of violence."
31_104
Humanist groups expressed horror at the loss of a colleague. The Center for Inquiry's chief UN
31_105
representative stated "Avijit was brilliant, yes, and a devoted advocate of free expression and
31_106
secularism, but also just a very good person." Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association,
31_107
which awarded Roy and other bloggers the Free Expression Award in 2014, said "With Avijit's death,
31_108
Bangladesh has lost not just a son, but a forceful proponent of human rights and equality for all
31_109
its people."
31_110
The British High Commissioner Robert Gibson expressed his concern in a tweet saying, "Shocked by
31_111
the savage murder of Avijit Roy as I am by all the violence that has taken place in Bangladesh in
31_112
recent months".
31_113
In December 2021, the United States Department of State announced a $5m. bounty for information
31_114
leading to the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on Roy and Ahmed.
31_115
Legacy
31_116
In 2018, the Freedom From Religion Foundation introduced the annual Avijit Roy Courage Award, which
31_117
is given to "individuals working toward the spread of rational and logical discourse, and recognize
31_118
creative and heroic individuals who have persisted, despite hurdles, in their work to promote
31_119
science, logic and humane ideas."
31_120
Works See also
31_121
Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh Murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi
31_122
Political repression of cyber-dissidents List of journalists killed in Bangladesh
31_123
References
31_124
1972 births 2015 deaths American bloggers American humanists American mechanical engineers
31_125
American people murdered abroad American writers of Bangladeshi descent American atheists
31_126
Bangladeshi atheists Bangladeshi bloggers Bangladeshi emigrants to the United States
31_127
Bangladeshi humanists Bangladeshi mechanical engineers Bangladeshi secularists Bangladeshi writers
31_128
Bangladeshi male writers Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology alumni
31_129
American critics of Islam Deaths by stabbing in Bangladesh Assassinated Bangladeshi journalists
31_130
People from Atlanta People from Dhaka People killed by Islamic terrorism People murdered in Dhaka
31_131
People persecuted by Muslims University of Singapore alumni Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh
31_132
Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) Assassinated bloggers Stabbing attacks in 2015
31_133
Terrorist incidents involving knife attacks Engineers from Georgia (U.S. state)
31_134
American male bloggers
32_0
Nadia Baher Sirry () is a Cairo-born painter of Turkish-Lebanese descent, born in 1958.
32_1
Life
32_2
Sirry is a graduate of Ain Shams University. She worked for a time at the British Institute in
32_3
Egypt before devoting herself full-time to her artistic career. She currently lives and works in
32_4
Cairo.
32_5
Membership Member of the Syndicate of Plastic Arts. Member of the National Society of Fine Arts.
32_6
Member of Cairo Atelier – union of artists and writers. Member of Fine Art Lovers Society.
32_7
Member of Art Companions Group. Member of the Egyptian Arts Preservation Society.
32_8
Private Exhibitions Shadicor art gallery (Reality and Fantasy) March 2006
32_9
Saad Zaghloul Cultural Center (Tangible Dreams) April 2006
32_10
The Russian Cultural Center in Alexandria (Between Contemplation and Dreams) August 2006
32_11
Ewart Gallery the American University in Cairo ( Contemplation of the Heart) March 2007
32_12
Alexandria Center of Arts (Touches) August 2007