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In My View

HRW reports ‘rampant abuse’ of Rohingya refugees by Bangladesh police

Published : Friday, 20 January, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 628
Syed Badiuzzaman
Human Rights Watch has published a damning report on large-scale �abuse� of Rohingya refugees by the Armed Police Battalion of Bangladesh and urged the governments of the donor nations to exert pressure on Bangladesh authorities to investigate the alleged abuses against the Rohingya living in Cox�s Bazar refugee camps.

The New York-based international rights group released the report from Bangkok on Jan. 17 with a damaging headline for Bangladesh government: �Bangladesh: Rampant Police Abuse of Rohingya Refugees.� The report carrying several direct quotes from Rohingya refugees against police abuse of them also published a strong drop head under its main headline: �Donors Should Press for End to Extortion, Harassment by Armed Police Battalion.�  

�Abuses by police in the Cox�s Bazar camps have left Rohingya refugees suffering at the hands of the very forces who are supposed to protect them. Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate allegations of widespread extortion and wrongful detention by Armed Police Battalion officers and hold those responsible to account,� the highly critical report quoted Human Rights Watch�s Asia researcher Shayna Bauchner as saying.

The report was released after Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 40 Rohingya refugees in October and November 2022 and reviewed police reports documenting more than 16 cases of serious abuse by the officers of Armed Police Battalion. These included abuses against 10 refugees who were detained on �apparently fabricated grounds� for trafficking yaba or violence-related offences. The report said that HRW and others had long documented �the common practice by Bangladesh security forces of framing suspects with drugs or weapons.�

The rights group published some startling findings of its investigation about alleged involvement by the Armed Police Battalion officers in extortion. �Almost every case Human Rights Watch investigated involved extortion either directly by APBn officers or communicated through the camp community leaders. Police generally demanded 10,000-40,000 taka (US$100-400) to avoid arrest, and 50,000-100,000 taka ($500-1,000)for the release of a detained family member. Families often had to sell gold jewelry or borrow money for bribes or legal costs. Many worried about the harm to their reputation.�

HRW investigation found that many of the Rohingya victims worked for nongovernmental organizations or as teachers and these organizations raised concerns about APBn harassment of their staff and its impact on their operations. The report referred to the payment of 6,000 taka ($60) to APBn officers by a health volunteer after they confiscated his work cell phone and downloaded photos and videos related to armed groups to frame him. �I still remember them smiling when they gave my mobile back,� he said. �In Myanmar, the security forces used to charge us money for anything, anytime they wanted. Now in the camps, Bangladesh law enforcement is doing the same thing.�

These allegations by Rohingya refugees as documented by Human Rights Watch are extremely serious. They have put both the Myanmar and Bangladesh security forces under the same category. These allegations will seriously hurt the reputation of Bangladesh law enforcement agencies and more importantly the image of Bangladesh itself as a host nation providing shelter to Rohingya refugees. Despite these serious allegations against the officers of the Armed Police Battalion of Bangladesh, APBn is yet to come up with a response clarifying its position on the findings of the investigation by Human Rights Watch workers.

In an initial reaction to AFP news agency as reported by the Daily Observer on Jan.17, Armed Police Battalion Commander Syed Harunor Rashid hasn�t denied the report but he said it is �questionable.� �Criminals are telling them false facts, and [Human Rights Watch workers] are reporting them. This is like giving comfort to criminals.� He said his unit would investigate if it receives �specific complaints.� But, in response to this kind of report of Human Rights Watch carrying so serious and categorical allegations, the law enforcement authorities of many countries in the world would immediately hold press conference to tell their side of the story and clarify their position.  

Human Rights Watch�s Jan. 17 report published some explosive allegations of corruption within the Armed Police Battalion of Bangladesh quoting several Rohingya refugees even though the HRW used their pseudonyms for their protection. However, APBn Commander Rashid dubbed the report �questionable� without dismissing it outright. Bangladesh people and all stakeholders have the right to know the truth. Where are the investigative journalists of Bangladesh? Go to the refugee camps in Cox�s Bazar and talk to the refugees independently and find the truth. But make sure you also talk to the local people and Bangladesh security forces.

Bangladesh is stuck in a delicate situation. And no one knows how long the country will continue to find itself between a rock and a hard place. It has an enormous task of hosting over a million refugees and at the same time maintaining law and order in the Cox�s Bazar refugee camps. There was a slim chance for a negotiated settlement of the Rohingya problem between Bangladesh and Myanmar but the military coup in February 2021 destroyed even that chance. Human rights activists have said that the military coup in Myanmar has made the already bad situation for the Rohingya even worse.

The Rohingya crisis was handled extremely poorly right from the beginning. Government after government came to power but they didn�t take the issue seriously enough when the refugees from what was then Burma began to arrive in Bangladesh in the 1970s in their hundreds. Bangladesh also didn�t bother that much when they sporadically crossed over to Cox�s Bazar even in their thousands in the 1980s and also in the 1990s.The government took the matter seriously only in the 2000s when the number of refugees significantly swelled and especially in 2017 when Myanmar military began their atrocities in Rakhine state setting off a massive influx of refugees into the country.

Even today Bangladesh doesn�t have a coherent policy on Rohingya. As a host country, Bangladesh is obligated under the international law to ensure their welfare in addition to providing them with food, shelter and basic necessities. What is the Rohingya policy of Bangladesh? Is there a Rohingya desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with clearly spelt out responsibilities, especially to coordinate with donor nations and all other stakeholders on a regular basis to keep the issue front and center? The Rohingya desk should stay in constant touchwith countries, such as China and Russia and urge them to play an active role in the resolution of the long-running crisis.

Bangladesh media previously reported that China which has close ties with Myanmar was trying to resolve the crisis through a three-way discussion with Myanmar and Bangladesh. But so far there hasn�t been any progress about that. Being a friendly country to both, Bangladesh and Myanmar, China is perfectly positioned to broker an amicable settlement of the Rohingya crisis. Russia also has considerable influence over Myanmar. So, Russia too can play an important role in the resolution of the Rohingya refugee problem. Bangladesh has good relations with both countries.

Until the Rohingya problem is solved, Bangladesh has both legal and moral obligations to look after the refugees. Human Rights Watch does not write character certificate for a government. It conducts fact-finding investigations of human rights abuses and monitors various countries to ensure they are not in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is the job of HRW, the global human rights watchdog. Criticizing Human Rights Watch�s report is futile as the world will listen to what this international rights group say, not the story of its critics.
-    The writer is a Toronto-based journalist who also writes for the Toronto Sun as a guest columnist
















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