Bangladesh blogger seeks U.S. help as threats escalate

When Bangladeshi blogger and social activist Ashif Entaz Rabi (picture) hosted a television talk show about a slaying of a publisher by Islamic extremists, he faced a torrent of threatening phone calls. He says young men with earpieces started loitering outside his workplace, and a militant website urged followers to “send this Ashif to Allah”.

But Bangladeshi authorities told him they could not protect him, saying he would need the kind of security usually reserved for the Prime Minister to keep him safe. Instead, they told him to take care of himself, and write something good about Islam and the government.

Mr Rabi, 37, who was in Washington at the invitation of a human rights group, called attention to the dozens of writers and bloggers who fear they could be the next victim of a wave of savage attacks on liberals and religious minorities in Bangladesh. The violence has had a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the traditionally moderate Muslim nation.

Tuesday marked World Press Freedom Day, and a coalition of rights groups were calling for a United Nations-backed inquiry into the killings, because Bangladesh’s government has failed to address the situation. They say “an atmosphere of complete impunity” in the South Asian nation is emboldening the killers. Since the beginning of 2015, at least nine intellectuals, academics, writers, bloggers, and activists have been hacked to death in targeted assassinations.

Mr Rabi attended the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the weekend, and met on Tuesday with a top State Department envoy on human rights, Tom Malinowski, to discuss the deteriorating climate of tolerance in Bangladesh. He is also hoping to find a way to secure sanctuary in the United States for himself and his immediate family.

“It’s better that the international community do something rather than just make statements. It’s no use just issuing letters, as the Prime Minister (of Bangladesh) does not care,” Mr Rabi told Associated Press on Monday.

Since December, the US has said it is considering providing temporary sanctuary to some individuals at immediate risk.

The State Department said on Tuesday in some cases it is working with non-government groups to reach out to individuals who may be under threat and need emergency assistance. AP