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Human Rights Commissioner Strässer on the murder of another blogger in Bangladesh
Christoph Strässer, the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement on 31 March on the murder of blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu the previous day in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh:
I am shocked and saddened by the murder of blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu yesterday in Dhaka. This cruel act is the second murder of a blogger in Bangladesh within the space of just a few weeks. Freedom of opinion is a fundamental human right. I call on the Government of Bangladesh to do what it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice and to protect freedom of speech and of the press in Bangladesh. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to the family of Oyasiqur Rahman Babu.
Background:
Only a few weeks after the murder of Avijit Roy in Dhaka on 26 February 2015, another blogger, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu was killed in Bangladesh. He was attacked by three assailants and killed in Dhaka on 30 March. According to media reports, two of the three suspects were arrested today. Rahman Babu, who was 27, had criticised fundamentalist circles in Bangladesh and condemned the murder of Avijit Roy.