Gay activists afraid to report death threat

TWO gay activists hacked to death in Bangladesh received death threats in the days before their murder, but were afraid to seek police protection.

Xulhaz Mannan, a US government employee and editor of the country’s only gay magazine, and Mahbub Tonoy were too scared to report the threats because of a recent police crackdown.

Five assailants, pretending to be from a courier company, forced their way into Mr Mannan’s flat and slashed their heads with knives.

Ansar Al Islam, an al-Qaeda affiliate, said it had killed the men, calling them “the pioneers of practicing (sic) and promoting homosexual- ity in Bangladesh”.

The group has made similar claims about a series of recent hacking deaths of atheist bloggers and secular activists.

“Xulhaz told me he was receiving telephone threats and other gay people were also receiving them,” said a women’s rights activist who did not want to be named.

She met Mr Mannan two days after the Bangladesh police banned a “Rainbow rally” by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender campaigners as part of celebrations of the Bengali new year on April 14.

“Xulhaz and others were reluctant to go to the police and inform them of the threat to them,” she said.

Homosexuality remains illegal in Bangladesh.