Atheist blogger Niloy Neel was killed in his Dhaka home by machete-wielding attackers. An al-Qaeda affiliate claimed responsibility for the murder.
Asha Moni (wife)
In August 2015, six men knocked on the door of Bangladeshi blogger Niloy Neel’s apartment, where he lived with his wife. They claimed they were considering renting an apartment in the complex and asked if they could come in. When Niloy obliged, two of the men forced him into another room and hacked him to death with machetes. According to police, his wife was “confined to another room.”
“He was [a] voice against fundamentalism and extremism and was even a voice for minority rights - especially women's rights and the rights of indigenous people.” - Imran H. Sarkar, head of the Bangladesh Blogger and Activist Network, paying tribute to Niloy
Niloy was an atheist who spoke out in favor of secularism and human rights. For his activism, he had received death threats, which he reported to the police to no response. His death came as part of a string of similar murders in Dhaka—previously that year, secular bloggers Ananta Bijoy Das, Washiqur Rahman, and Avijit Roy had suffered the same fate, and Niloy had recently spoken out against their murders.
An al-Qaeda affiliate, Ansar al-Islam Bangladesh, claimed responsibility for the attack.
“By the permission of Allah, this operation took place today. We declare war against these worst enemies of Allah and his messenger.” - alleged spokesman of Ansar al-Islam Bangladesh on Niloy’s killing
Blasphemy law in Bangladesh allows the state to arrest, trial and imprison any person who has intention of hurting "religious sentiments." While the state does not have any law against apostasy, vigilantism or non-state groups prosecute apostates on their own. Vigilante violence has been an especially acute issue, most notably in the mid-2010s when a string of secularist and atheist bloggers suffered murder and attempted murder at the hands of Islamist extremists.