Human rights organisation Fortify Rights has urged Bangladesh’s interim government to immediately shut down the Rohingya refugee camp on Bhasan Char.
The organisation labels the island prison-like and states that refugees there lack freedom of movement in violation of Bangladesh’s constitution and international law.
The claim appears in a report titled “Like Prisoners: The Mass Arbitrary Detention and Warehousing of Rohingya Refugees on Bhasan Char in Bangladesh,” released Wednesday at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
The report details how barbed wire fences, watchtowers, CCTV cameras and armed guards restrict Rohingya refugees’ movement on Bhasan Char. Fortify Rights argues this setup amounts to mass arbitrary detention under international law.
The organisation adds that such detention contravenes Jus cogens (Latin for “compelling law” refers to fundamental, overriding principles of international law that are so essential no state can violate them, making any conflicting treaty void).
The report questions why the government maintains the Bhasan Char project despite clear provisions in Bangladesh’s constitution and international law.
Gaining permission to visit relatives on the mainland is difficult and often requires bribes ranging from Tk200-1000. In August 2021, a boat sank during an escape attempt from Bhasan Char, leaving at least 25 Rohingyas missing or dead, including many children.
Bangladesh authorities should immediately close the refugee camp on Bhasan Char and end the mass arbitrary detention imposed on Rohingya refugees from Myanmar on the island and mainland while ensuring their freedom of movement, said John Quinley, director of Fortify Rights.
He added, Bhasan Char should never have been considered a suitable place for refugees. Being a refugee is not a crime, yet Rohingya from Myanmar are treated as if it is. In reality this island operates like a penal colony which is unlawful and inhumane.
The report uncovers new evidence of Rohingya warehousing, a practice that confines them to the long-term and makes them dependent on aid in violation of human rights. Information was gathered from interviews with
Rohingya on Bhasan Char, their relatives, humanitarian workers, journalists and others. After Rohingya fled Myanmar’s genocidal campaign in 2017, Bangladesh’s government proposed relocating them to Bhasan Char to ease pressure on mainland camps.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the effort with a goal of transferring 100,000 Rohingya. Relocations began in May 2020. Following initial opposition, the United
Nations signed a humanitarian services agreement on 9 October 2021. United Nations and Bangladesh data indicate more than 34,500 Rohingya were on Bhasan Char as of December 2025.
In a recent interview Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Commissioner, Refugee Relief and Repatriation, stated the government has no interest in operating Bhasan Char and called it a kind of imprisonment and failed project. No closure plans have been announced which raises inconsistencies.
