MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2023) A prominent international human rights group on Thursday urged the Bangladeshi government to take measures to protect Rohingya refugees in the country who are increasingly exposed to violence by criminals and armed groups.
"(Bangladeshi) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's past pledges to protect Rohingya refugees are now threatened by violent groups and an indifferent justice system ... The Bangladesh authorities' increasingly evident intention to repatriate the Rohingya does not absolve the government of its responsibility to ensure their protection," Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly said in a statement.
HRW said it had documented 26 cases of violence against Rohingya refugees based on interviews held in Bangladeshi camps as well as police and medical reports. The Rohingya are exposed to the risk of murder, kidnapping, torture, sexual assault and rape while they are in Bangladesh.
The mass illegal migration of the Rohingya to Bangladesh began in 2017, following a military operation by Myanmar's armed forces in Rakhine against Rohingya rebels who attacked several police posts and army bases. Since then, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
