Rewards for Justice, USA has announced a reward up to $5 million for information on the attack against Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed.
In 2015, Avijit Roy was killed and his wife Rafida Ahmed wounded in Dhaka.
On February 26, 2015, Bangladesh-born US citizens and married couple Roy and Ahmed were visiting Dhaka to attend a book fair when they were attacked by unidentified assailants with machetes.
Roy was killed and Ahmed survived with critical injuries.
As an author, blogger, and activist, Roy challenged fundamentalism in Bangladesh by advocating for freedom of expression, according to Rewards for Justice.
He coordinated international protests to raise awareness of the plight of imprisoned atheist bloggers in Bangladesh and was a well-known critic of social repression, it said.
He was targeted and killed for his outspoken beliefs and activism, said the Rewards for Justice.
Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) claimed responsibility for the attack.
ABT seeks to radicalize youths to kill those deemed by them to be anti-Islamic, according to Rewards for Justice.
Those responsible for the attack are believed to be in Bangladesh, it said.
The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, through its Rewards for Justice (RFJ) office, offered the reward.
The Secretary of State has authorized the reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of anyone involved in the murder of Roy and the attack on Ahmed, according to US Department of State.
Source: United News of Bangladesh