Career
Deutsche Welle stated that "Asif"s blog was one of the most read web pages in Bangladesh and is known for its strong criticism of religious fundamentalism and Bangladesh"s "anti-people politics". Now he lives in Berlin, Germany. Mohiuddin wrote articles criticising male chauvinism, domestic violence and the death penalty for apostasy in Islam, leading to fundamentalists calling for his death.
In 2013 Mohiuddin was attacked and stabbed outside his house by four youths, inspired by First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Qaeda leader Anwar First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Awlaki.
Rewards were offered for anyone who would behead secularist bloggers. The secular Bangladeshi government imprisoned bloggers, including Mohiuddin, and blocked many websites.
In March 2013 Mohiuddin"s blog on the public blogging site somewhereinblog.net, was shut down by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, a move protested by the 2013 Bengali blog blackout. In April, Mohiuddin was arrested for "blasphemous" posts, along with three other bloggers.
The crackdown on independent blogs, and the closure of the newspaper Amar Desh, was strongly criticised by Human Rights Watch and IHEU. Amnesty International also issued a statement titled, "Bangladesh: writers at risk of torture’.
Worldwide protest and demonstrations were held on 25 April and 2 May 2013, to put pressure on the Bangladeshi government to free the arrested bloggers. Many writers, activists, and prominent intellectuals around the world including Salman Rushdie, Taslima Nasrin, Hemant Mehta, Maryam Namazie, PZ Myers, Avijit Roy, Anu Muhammad, Ajoy Roy, Qayyum Chowdhury, Ramendu Majumdar, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal publicly expressed their solidarity with the arrested bloggers. Three of the arrested bloggers eventually were released on bail, however the court denied bail for Asif Mohiuddin and he was sent to prison on 2 June 2013.
He was released after three months but still faces charges.
Now he lives in Berlin, Germany.
