Bangladesh publishers burn books in protest at killing of secularists

Publishers, whose very life blood is printing books, have been burning books in Bangladesh as a very public protest against the governments refusal to take any decisive action in response to the growing campaign of orchestrated murder that is being directed against writers. The Guardian Reports … Demonstrations have continued over fatal attacks on secular writers and … Read more

Bonya Ahmed gives the Voltaire Lecture 2015: ‘Fighting machetes with pens’ – #BHAVoltaire

Avijit Roy, the Bangladeshi American online activist, writer, and blogger known for pioneering Bengali freethinkers’ weblog-forum, Mukto-Mona, was brutally hacked to death by machete-wielding Islamists in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 26 February 2015. While he and his wife, Bonya Ahmed, were returning home from the fair by bicycle rickshaw, they were intercepted, dragged them from the rickshaw and attacked. Roy died, but his wife survived. … Read more

Bangladesh blogger murders: False information is being planted and circulated

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IEHU) reports that there has been a deliberate attempt to plant and circulate false information in the media and so rather than pick bits out, I’m reposting the entire article in full below. What appears to be the motivation here is that the criticism directed against the authorities in … Read more

Notes from the British Humanist Association conference – #BHA2015 – 21st June

Today, the 21st June, is World Humanist day, and so the fact that it is the longest brightest day is also in so many ways an appropriately symbolic choice for such a day since the 1980s. It is of course no coincidence that the British Humanist Association is currently holding an annual conference this weekend, and so … Read more

Notes from the British Humanist Association conference – #BHA2015 – 20th June

OK, these are just a few very brief notes and pictures from #BHA2015 that is taking place this year in Bristol. One initial observation, this is not simply about coming to listen to some fascinating talks, but is also all about meeting some truly fascinating people, so if you are actually here in Bristol at the … Read more