Mohibullah murder: Rohingya youth held, investigation underway

The Armed Police Battalion (APBn) yesterday arrested a Rohingya youth from the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar on suspicion of his involvement in the assassination of Rohingya leader Mohibullah.

APBn members nabbed the youth named Selim Ullah, alias "Lomba" Selim, from Camp No 6 yesterday noon. He was later handed over to Ukhia Police Station, APBn-14 Commander SP Md Naimul Haque told The Business Standard.

The United States and a number of rights groups have called for a full investigation of Mohibullah's murder.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was saddened by the murder and praised Mohibullah as a brave and fierce advocate for Rohingya rights.

"We urge a full and transparent investigation into his death with the goal of holding the perpetrators of this heinous crime accountable.

"We will honour his work by continuing to advocate for the Rohingya and lift up the voices of members of the community in decisions about their future," Blinken said in a statement on Thursday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned the attack and said it was in contact with agencies responsible for the security of the Rohingyas.

"We urge the Bangladesh authorities to undertake an immediate investigation, and hold those responsible to account," it said.

Mohibullah's younger brother Habibullah filed a case with Ukhia Police Station against 15-20 unknown assailants in connection with the murder on Thursday night.

Ukhia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ahmed Sanjur Morshed said: "The suspects will be identified following further investigation."

Habibullah claims he knows some of the people who took part in the assassination.

Addressing the press outside the morgue of Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital on Thursday, he named Master Abdur Rahim, Lalu, and Morshed – all reported leaders and members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), also known as al-Yaqin in the camps – as killers of his brother.

Despite repeated attempts made by The Business Standard, Habibullah could not be contacted for further comments.

Case filed over Rohingya leader Mohibullah murder

Seeking anonymity, a number of Rohingyas who are Mohibullah's followers, said the allegedly known killers were not named as accused in the case because of an imminent threat to their personal safety.

Mohibullah, 46, who led the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, was shot dead around 8:30pm at a Kutupalong camp office in Cox's Bazar on Wednesday.

The outspoken Rohingya leader gained prominence on 25 August 2019 when a rally organised by the Arakan Rohingya Society to observe two years of the latest Rohingya exodus from the Rakhine State of Myanmar drew more than a 1,00,000 people.

He also represented the Rohingya community at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2019 and served as a spokesman representing the Muslim ethnic group in international meetings and conferences.

He also visited the White House that same year for a meeting on religious freedom with then US president Donald Trump and spoke about the suffering and persecution faced by Rohingyas in Myanmar.

In his remarks to the UN rights council, Mohibullah said the Rohingya faced "systematic genocide" in Myanmar, where the government denies them citizenship.

"Imagine you have no identity, no ethnicity, no country, nobody wants you," he said. "How would you feel? This is how we feel today as Rohingya."

He said the Rohingya want to return home if they can be guaranteed citizenship and security.

"We are not stateless. Stop calling us that," he said. "We have a state and it is Myanmar."

On Thursday evening, thousands of Rohingyas attended his funeral prayers before he was buried in a graveyard inside the camp.

Global rights groups condemn Mohibullah's killing

Mohibullah's death highlights the enduring struggles of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group long persecuted by the Myanmar government, as they contend with not only displacement but threats to their safety within the camps, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"He always defended the rights of the Rohingya to a safe and dignified return and to have a say in decisions concerning their lives and future," Meenakshi Ganguly, the group's South Asia director, said in a statement.

"His killing is a stark demonstration of the risks faced by those in the camps who speak up for freedom and against violence."

A number of other human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Fortify Rights also urged the Bangladesh government to investigate the murder and deliver justice.

The rights group said that since last year, at least 2,000 Rohingya people had been forced to flee their shelters in violence between two factions vying for control of the illicit drug trade in the camp.

As leader of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, Mohibullah painstakingly documented the testimonials of survivors in the camps.

The detailed record he provided has been cited in multiple investigations, including one by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

But as Mohibullah's international prominence, so did the number of death threats.