ICC Note:

Christians across Bangladesh remain shaken following the brutal murder of a 71-year-old Christian grocer in Bonpara village. The murder marks the second time in 2016 that Christians have been targeted by Islamic death squads leading a campaign of terror against religious minorities, secular bloggers, academics, and gay rights activists in Bangladesh. Since the beginning of 2016, over 30 individuals considered enemies of Islam by the extremists have been targeted and murdered. Will Bangladesh be able to confront this wave to terror or will Christians and others remain at risk? 

6/30/2016 Bangladesh (Asia News) – Bonpara is a village in Natore District, in the Diocese of Rajshahi. Since the death of Sunil Gomes, a 71-year-old man Catholic grocer who was murdered two weeks ago by unknown attackers, local Christians live in fear.

As a measure of self-defense, younger members of the community have organized night watches to ensure the security of the parish and its residents.

Despite a claim of responsibility by the extremists of the Islamic State group, police are still in the dark and for now have only arrested two people who rented a place from the grocer.

“What did my beloved brother do wrong? Why did he become a victim?” said the victim’s brother, Fr Proshanta Gomes, a priest in the diocese of Dinajpur.  “We live in a country where there is no justice. I want the killers arrested and justice done,” he told Asia News.

In the past few months, Bangladesh has seen a wave of deadly Islamist attacks against students, bloggers, professors, and members of the LGBT community targeted for their liberal ideas.

In response to the situation, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has launched a campaign against terrorism that saw the arrest of 14,000 suspected terrorists, but few are actually linked to Islamic extremism.

Bonpara is home to 75 Christians who belong to a larger parish of some 4,000 people. Sunil Gomes was attacked on 5 June after Sunday Mass and left to die in a pool of blood.

So far, there have been no developments in the investigation into his murder, local Christians said.

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