Tributes To Xulhaz And Tanay

A collection of last words addressed to two Bangladeshi men murdered by extremists.

On 25 April, Ansar-al Islam extremists murdered Xulhaz Mannan and Tanay Majumder in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Their deaths occur in the same week as those of a Hindu priest, a Rajshahi University professor, and a Hindu tailor, in different parts of Bangladesh. Extremists from Jamaat and its student wing Shibir have killed over 30 teachers, writers, activists, members of religious minorities and Islamic preachers in Bangladesh since 2004. Ansar-Al Islam published a 'hit list' of 84 names in 2014, which included writers and bloggers who have since been killed.

Xulhaz and Tanay are the first known victims to be targeted for their role as activists in Bangladesh's LGBT community. Xulhaz was an editor of Roopbaan, Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine, launched in 2014 and privately distributed. In a country that still criminalizes homosexuality, the magazine's beginnings brought hope. Xulhaz and Tanay's murders have shaken the LGBT community and its allies, as well as signaled the extremists' intentions to target anyone who does not conform.

Below are some last messages for Xulhaz and Tanay, from those who loved them.