Director General of UNESCO condemns killing of magazine editor Xulhaz

USPA NEWS - The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the murder of magazine editor Xulhaz Mannan, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On April 25 in Bangladesh, two men were killed by assailants shouting "Allah akbar"; they worked for the only LGBT magazine in the country.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the murder of magazine editor Xulhaz Mannan, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On April 25 in Bangladesh, two men were killed by assailants shouting "Allah akbar"; they worked for the only LGBT magazine in the country. The attack took place on Monday 25 April, around 17 hours. Five young men pose as couriers and enter a building Kalabagan area in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh.They then enter a 2nd floor apartment and killed two men with machetes, as stated spokesman of the Dhaka police; A third person was also injured during the attack. “I condemn the killing of Xulhaz Mannan,“ the Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova, said. “Mannan spoke for a part of society that is often shunned, contributing to the media´s calling to serve the public as a whole. His murder is a loss to Bangladesh, to its media community and society. I urge the authorities to investigate this heinous crime, to bring its perpetrators to trial and enhance the safety of all journalists so as to ensure respect for freedom of expression and freedom of information for all.“------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xulhaz Mannan was killed in his home, along with Tanay Fahim. Mannan was the editor of Roopbaan magazine, the only LGBTI media in the country. The identity of the victims has not been revealed by the police, but they are quickly identified by the LGBT associations. Indeed, gay rights organizations confirmed to Agence France Presse (AFP), that one of them was Xulhaz Mannan, the editor of the magazine Roopbaan, the only media Bangladeshi addressing gay and trans community in the country.The second victim was a friend of Xulhaz Mannan, known in the media as the Tanay Mojumdar, and also working for the magazine as a member of its executive committee. The two men, openly gay, seem to have been murdered for their commitment to LGBT rights. The Director-General of UNESCO issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO Member States at the Organization´s General Conference of 1997, entitled “Condemnation of Violence against Journalists. Source UNESCO