The Foreign Service Journal, June 2016

12 JUNE 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL USAID Employee and Human Rights Activist Murdered in Dhaka F or eight years, Xulhaz Mannan worked as a protocol specialist at the U.S. embassy in Dhaka, where he founded the embassy’s diversity committee. Last September he joined USAID’s Democ- racy and Governance Office as a project management assistant. On April 25, he was brutally murdered in his Dhaka apartment, along with his friend, activist and actor Tanay Mojumdar. “Today, USAID lost one of our own,” USAID Administrator Gayle E. Smith stated. “We condemn this cruel and inhu- mane act of violence and add our voices to all those calling to bring his cowardly attackers to justice.” The United States offered to aid the Bangladesh government in their search for Mannan’s killers. According to the Dhaka Tribune , up to six young men entered Mannan’s apart- ment building, claiming to be mail carri- ers. They mentioned Mannan by name, saying he was expecting a delivery, before entering his apartment and hacking the two men to death. Al-Qaeda’s Bangladeshi branch, Ansar al-Islam, has claimed responsibility for the murders. In addition to his work at the embassy, Mannan was the editor of Roopbaan — Bangladesh’s first LGBTI magazine, which debuted in 2014—and was a well-known human rights activist. Roopbaan , named for a Bengali folk character who represents the power of love, has received support from foreign embassies in the past. Its messages of inclusion have been contentious in Ban- gladesh, where homosexuality is a highly sensitive topic, and still technically illegal. Mojumdar, who also worked on the publication, had just entered law school TALKING POINTS in the hope of becoming a legal defender of LGBT rights in his home country. In a statement following Mannan’s death, Administrator Smith underscored his work in broadening and deepening political understanding throughout Ban- gladesh, as well as his devotion to build- ing an open and welcoming workplace. “Xulhaz was more than a colleague to those of us fortunate to work with him at the U.S. embassy,” said U.S. Ambassador Marcia Bernicat. “He was a dear friend.” The murders follow a string of Islamist attacks on secular academics and repre- sentatives of religious and social minorities in Bangladesh. Days earlier, university professor Rezaul Karim Siddique was murdered in a similar fashion by members of the so-called Islamic State group. In early April , a law student, Nazimud- din Samad, was hacked to death in Dhaka after writing about his secular views online. During the past three years, 20 people have beenmurdered in similar attacks. Xulhaz Mannan is survived by his mother, brother and sister, and will be sadly missed by many friends, colleagues and the LGBTI community in Bangladesh and around the world. —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Assistant, and Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor U.S. Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Marks One Year on the Job O n April 13, Randy Berry, the State Department’s first special envoy for the human rights of LGBTI persons, completed one year on the job. A career Foreign Service officer, Special Envoy Berry has previously served in New Zea- land, Bangladesh, Nepal, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa. During the past year he has traveled to more than 42 countries and seen progress being made through a generally increased level of dialogue on LGBTI issues, both with and without U.S. involvement. “We are witnessing global move- ment, truly. There are going to be some places that lag or even move backward, but I don’t think that should rob us from understanding what the overall picture is, and that is one of global progress,” he told the Bay Area Reporter recently. In an interviewwith the Washington Blade , Mr. Berry noted some prominent legislative successes in Nepal, Vietnam, Botswana, Argentina andMozambique. However, same-sex sexual relations are still criminalized inmore than 70 countries. Berry identifies Malta as the nation with the best gender identity laws, and commended Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil for their advocacy on behalf of LGBT rights at the United Nations. Trouble spots include Russia, Uganda and Jamaica. Berry, who is well aware that the United States isn’t perfect when it comes to protecting LGBTI rights, highlights the need to be in touch with local activists and advocates, people who understand their own nation’s political and social climate and can determine the best way forward for achieving equal rights. Diplo- mats can then decide how to best support SCARLETAMARE Xulhaz Mannan.