Gay Rights Activist Brutally Murdered In Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Muslims attend the funeral of Xulhaz Mannan. The banned group Ansar-al Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, has claimed responsibility for the killings of gay rights activist Mannan and his friend in the capital, Dhaka.
Bangladeshi Muslims attend the funeral of Xulhaz Mannan. The banned group Ansar-al Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, has claimed responsibility for the killings of gay rights activist Mannan and his friend in the capital, Dhaka. AP Photo
Bangladeshi Muslims attend the funeral of Xulhaz Mannan. The banned group Ansar-al Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, has claimed responsibility for the killings of gay rights activist Mannan and his friend in the capital, Dhaka.
Bangladeshi Muslims attend the funeral of Xulhaz Mannan. The banned group Ansar-al Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, has claimed responsibility for the killings of gay rights activist Mannan and his friend in the capital, Dhaka. AP Photo

Gay Rights Activist Brutally Murdered In Bangladesh

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This week Xulhaz Mannan, the editor of Bangladesh’s first LGBT magazine was hacked to death. 

Mannan was openly gay and someone who had fought for both freedom of expression and the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in Bangladesh. 

The group Ansar al-Islam, a division of al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the murder. Mannan was one of several people brutally murdered in the last few weeks. 

Brad Abrams, executive director the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch joins us to talk about what’s been happening in Bangladesh.