Killing of Bangladeshi Labor Organizer Signals an Escalation in Violence.

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- A labor activist who was arrested two years ago for his role in protests against low wages in Bangladesh's garment industry was found murdered outside this city last week, labor rights advocates and the police said on Monday. The killing of the activist, Aminul Islam, marks a morbid turn in the often tense relations between labor groups, on one side, and Bangladesh's extensive garment industry, which makes clothes for Western companies like Walmart, Tommy Hilfiger and H&M. In 2010, Mr. Islam, a former textile factory worker, was arrested and, he and other labor activists said, was tortured by the police and intelligence services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]