Arakan News Agency
Human rights organization Fortify Rights has called on Bangladesh’s transitional authorities to immediately shut down the Bhasan Char camp for Rohingya refugees, stating that the policy of confining refugees on the remote island violates fundamental rights and contravenes international law.
The call was made during a press conference held in the capital Dhaka, where the organization said that Bhasan Char has effectively become a “prison” for Rohingya refugees. Fortify Rights stressed that severe restrictions on freedom of movement and the denial of the right to work amount to arbitrary detention, in violation of Bangladesh’s constitution and its international obligations.
During the press conference, Fortify Rights unveiled a 36-page report based on more than 100 interviews conducted over five years with Rohingya refugees living on Bhasan Char, their family members, humanitarian workers, journalists, and other sources. The interviews were carried out between May 2020 and October 2025.
The organization’s director, John Quinley, urged the Bangladeshi government to put an end to what he described as “widespread arbitrary detention of Rohingya refugees,” both on the island and elsewhere in the country, emphasizing that being a refugee is not a crime.
Quinley added that Bhasan Char was never a suitable location for hosting refugees, stating that the island is effectively run as a penal colony, a practice he described as unlawful and inhumane.
According to the report, many Rohingya were pressured or misled into relocating to the island. Some said they were promised job opportunities, monthly financial assistance, or resettlement in third countries. Others reported being threatened with forced return to Myanmar or the confiscation of their registration documents if they refused to move.
Fortify Rights noted that living conditions on Bhasan Char remain under strict security control, with the camp surrounded by barbed-wire fencing and watchtowers, the presence of armed security forces, and continuous surveillance through round-the-clock cameras.
The organization also quoted a Rohingya man from Maungdaw in Arakan State, currently living on the island, who said life on Bhasan Char resembles detention.
He added that most residents would leave immediately if security restrictions were lifted and freedom of movement were allowed.
In its concluding statement, Fortify Rights urged Bangladesh’s transitional government to close the Bhasan Char camp, restore freedom of movement, and guarantee the right to work for all Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, in line with humanitarian standards and international law.
