UN rights chief calls for investigation into ‘heartbreaking’ killing of veteran Rohingya activist

Mohib Ullah, seat of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), was changeable dormant connected Wednesday by chartless assailants successful the Kutupalong /Cox’s Bazar exile camp, located successful the southbound of the country.

The campy was established successful August 2017 and houses much than 750,000 Rohingya, a chiefly Muslim number radical from neighbouring Myanmar, who fled wide killings, rapes and persecution by the service and information forces.

‘An exceptional quality rights defender’

“It is heartbreaking that a idiosyncratic who spent his beingness warring to guarantee that the violations committed against the Rohingya radical were known world-wide has been murdered successful this way,” the UN rights main said.

Ms. Bachelet described Mr. Ullah arsenic “an exceptional quality rights defender, who contempt the risks that his enactment entailed, nevertheless continued defending the rights of his people.”

For years, helium methodically collected accusation astir violations against the Rohingya successful their location authorities of Rakhine, successful northwestern Myanmar, and sought to galvanise planetary action.

A persecuted community

Mr. Ullah travelled to Geneva successful March 2019 to code the 40th league of the UN Human Rights Council successful person, explaining however the Rohingya had suffered favoritism for decades, specified arsenic being deprived of their basal rights, including nationality, land, wellness and education.

“Imagine if you person nary identity, nary ethnicity, nary country. Nobody wants you. How would you feel? This is however we consciousness contiguous arsenic Rohingya,” helium told the Council astatine the time. “We are citizens of Myanmar, we are Rohingya.”

Ms. Bachelet said Mr. Ullah’s words “were precise almighty and highlighted the unspeakable concern of the Rohingya and today, 4 years later, they echo arsenic a reminder that Rohingya are inactive waiting for justness and inactive waiting to instrumentality home.”

His decease highlights the precarious concern of the Rohingya successful some countries, she added, emphasizing “we request to bash overmuch much to assistance this persecuted community, some successful Bangladesh and successful Myanmar.”

Insecurity successful the camp

Insecurity has been expanding alarmingly successful the Kutupalong /Cox’s Bazar camp, according to the UN quality rights office, OHCHR, with increasing criminality, rising tensions betwixt antithetic groups, arsenic good arsenic dense handed information crackdowns during anti-drug operations. Anti-Rohingya sentiment has besides been expanding wrong Bangladeshi communities.  

“Whoever was liable for his murder, Mohib Ullah’s decease is simply a wide illustration of the insecurity successful the camp, and the evident attempts to soundlessness mean civilian nine voices,” said Ms. Bachelet.

“A prompt, thorough, and autarkic probe should beryllium conducted not lone to place and apprehend his killers, and exposure their motives, but besides to specify what measures are needed to amended support susceptible civilian nine leaders, portion avoiding further securitisation successful the camps.”  

Step-up pressure

While stating that she afloat comprehends the immense challenges Bangladesh has faced successful hosting Rohingya refugees, and the request for greater planetary support, Ms. Bachelet stressed that their basal rights indispensable beryllium upheld.  

Meanwhile, the concern of astir 600,000 Rohingya successful Myanmar’s Rakhine State remains dire, with galore inactive confined successful camps, and reports of alleged violations including unlawful killings, arbitrary apprehension and detention, and precocious levels of extortion.  

“Mohib Ullah’s sidesplitting should beryllium a clarion telephone to the planetary assemblage to redouble its unit connected Myanmar to admit the Rohingya and judge their return, and to prosecute accountability for the unspeakable crimes committed against them,” said Ms. Bachelet.