(DHAKA, February 11, 2026) – The incoming government in
Bangladesh must ensure the right to freedom of movement for
Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh in the mainland
refugee camps and on Bhasan Char the isolated island in the
Bay of Bengal, said Fortify Rights today.
In January
2026, an official from the Bangladesh Election Commission,
Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah, reportedly ordered the
Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh to be
“sealed” before and after the February 12 national
elections. Since then, security forces have prevented many
Rohingya refugees from leaving the camps—even for medical
reasons.
“Freedom of movement is a
fundamental right for a human being and Rohingya should not
be deprived just because they are refugees,” said Zaw
Win, Senior Human Rights Specialist at Fortify Rights.
“Using the national parliamentary election as an excuse is
not a valid reason to severely restrict the freedom of
movement for Rohingya refugees, particularly those in need
of medical care.”
In the lead-up to
the national elections and the February 12 referendum, the
interim government announced that Rohingya refugees are not
allowed to leave the camps. In response to the new
announcement, refugees say security forces have tightened
movement restrictions in Cox’s Bazar District.
In
February 2026, Fortify Rights interviewed six Rohingya
refugees who said security forces in Cox’s Bazar
restricted their movement by refusing them from passing
security checkpoints, even when they presented valid medical
documents. Separately, in January, Fortify Rights also reported
on the mass arbitrary detention of Rohingya refugees on
Bhasan Char, an isolated island in the Bay of
Bengal.
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A 24-year-old Rohingya mother of three told
Fortify Rights that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stopped
her at a checkpoint and forced her to undergo a medical scan
because they suspected she was carrying yaba tablets– a
mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine –in her
abdomen.
She said that on January 31, 2026, around
2:30 p.m., she and her husband were traveling to Cox’s
Bazar when BGB detained them, conducted a body search, and
took her to a nearby health facility for an abdominal scan.
Four Rohingya, two men and two women, were similarly
examined with abdominal scans. Afterward, border guard
officials returned them to the checkpoint and refused them
passage, saying Rohingya were not allowed to leave the camp
during the election period. Despite showing her medical
booklet and prescription from the hospital, she and the
others were sent back to the camp. She
explained:
The BGB told us that Rohingya
people were not allowed to leave the camp during the
election period without permission. They said “Who gave
you the permission to go?” I showed them my medical
prescription and medical booklet given by the [withheld]
hospital in the camp. All the Rohingya were sent
back.
“I was very disappointed because
I was unable to go for treatment [in Cox’s Bazar city]. I
suffered from stomachache, and waist pain. I consulted
doctors in Kutupalong, and they said that a stone was found
in my kidney,” she said.
In cases documented by
Fortify Rights, security forces including the army
do
not allow Rohingya to pass checkpoints despite showing
medical documents. For example, a Rohingya man, 25, told
Fortify Rights how he was refused permission to travel to
Cox’s Bazar town where he wanted to purchase medicine for
his paralyzed uncle, saying:
I arrived in
Ukhiya. At that time, police and army personnel stopped and
checked me at a checkpoint. They identified me to be
Rohingya. I told them that I was traveling to buy medicine
for my uncle, who is paralyzed. I told them the medicine is
not available in the camp, so I am going to Cox’s Bazar. I
said I am going to buy the medicine for my uncle, and I will
soon come back. I requested them humbly, but I was not
allowed to pass through the checkpoint. They said “You are
a Rohingya. You should be ashamed; you are moving here and
there. Did you come here to enjoy a comfortable
life?
He continued to tell Fortify Rights
that the security forces told
him:
“Don’t you know that the national
election is currently ongoing, and who gave you permission
to leave the camp without permission?” I explained to them
the situation of my uncle. … I showed them the medical
prescription of my uncle but still they did not allow me to
move go.
Another Rohingya refugee 26, a
father of two, told Fortify Rights that he was blocked from
seeking medical care for his wife. After giving birth at a
hospital in the camp, his wife suffered severe bleeding,
headaches, and other complications. He said the camp
hospital lacked the necessary medicines and adequate
treatment.
On January 19, 2026, he requested
permission from the camp authorities to take her to a
hospital in Cox’s Bazar, but the request was denied. The
following day, in the morning, he attempted to travel with
his wife but was stopped at a checkpoint. “The police told
me we must seek treatment inside the camp and that Rohingya
were not allowed to leave the fenced area.”
In a
video on file and reviewed by Fortify Rights, camp
authorities announce the closure of the camps, saying, “No
Rohingya shall leave the camps” and warning that anyone
who violates the rules will face “strict punitive
measures,” including the confiscation of registration and
ration cards.
In January 2026, Fortify Rights released
a report “Like
Prisoners,” documenting how the government of
Bangladesh confined Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char and
subjected them to severe restrictions on liberty amounting
to de facto arbitrary detention, in violation of
Bangladesh’s constitution and international
law.
International human rights law protects
refugees’ right to freedom of movement and authorizes
governments to only impose regulations that are equally
applicable to other non-citizens present within the
country’s borders. Bangladesh is a state party to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR), which applies “without discrimination” to
refugees and protects the right to freedom of movement. The
U.N. Human Rights Committee has recognized that the ICCPR
should apply “without discrimination between citizens and
aliens,” including refugees.
The confinement of
refugees is discriminatory and infringes on Rohingya
refugees’ right to freedom of movement in contravention of
international law, said Fortify Rights. Bangladesh
authorities should prevent excessive securitization of the
camps.
“Being refugee is not a choice
but an unavoidable factor and Rohingya refugee shall not be
deprived of their right to freedom of movement based on
their status,” said Zaw Win. “The incoming
government of Bangladesh must protect Rohingya refugees as
long as they are in Bangladesh and need to ensure their
freedom of movement in Cox’s Bazar
district.”
