For Immediate Release

(Washington, D.C., August 7, 2015)—The American Humanist Association is shocked and saddened at the fourth killing of a Bangladeshi blogger in less than six months.

Niloy Chatterjee, an advocate of secularism and rationalism, was brutally murdered in his apartment in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Like the other bloggers whose lives were tragically taken, Chatterjee criticized religious extremism and espoused a worldview based on reason and science. He also demanded justice for the deaths of his fellow humanist bloggers: Avijit Roy, Oyasqur Rhaman and Ananta Bijoy Das.

Yesterday, the American Humanist Association called upon its members and supporters to contact Congress in favor of House Resolution 396, which would support the fair treatment of atheists and religious minorities in Bangladesh. The American Humanist Association, along with the Center for Inquiry and the Secular Coalition for America, also hosted a Congressional briefing in June to educate legislators and their staff about the dire need for religious freedom in Bangladesh and other parts of the world.

The American Humanist Association is committed to defending the rights of humanists in the United States and abroad through its advocacy for free expression and an end to blasphemy laws. The American Humanist Association will continue to work toward a free and equal world in which human rights are upheld and the freedom of religion and freedom from religion are respected.

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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other non-religious Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.