There are critical concerns about the risk of infection spreading uncontrollably in the overcrowded camps and other facilities used to house the some one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Human rights groups issued a joint letter on 1 April commending the government “for working closely with the humanitarian community on COVID-19 preparedness and response in Cox’s Bazar District, including efforts to establish isolation and treatment facilities.” However the groups pleaded with authorities to stop building barbed wire fencing around camps and to restrict mobile internet connections because these “measures threaten the safety and well-being of the refugees as well as Bangladesh host communities and aid workers, in light of the growing COVID-19 pandemic.”
Separately, the Bangladeshi Inspector General of Prisons has advised that newly arrived prisoners are to be kept isolated for a period of 14 days prior to joining the general population. He also stated that prisoners already serving time are being checked one by one in every prison of the country. The Inspector also stated that, while plans to release prisoners convicted of minor offences, such as Iran, had been discussed, they are not currently being envisaged.
It is thus far unclear if there are specific measures being taken to safeguard immigration-related detainees.
- Human Rights Watch, “Joint Letter Re: Restrictions on Communication, Fencing, and COVID-19 in Cox’s Bazar District Rohingya Refugee Camps,” 1 April 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/01/joint-letter-re-restrictions-communication-fencing-and-covid-19-coxs-bazar-district
- Al Jazeera, “Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh at Risk of COVID-19 Infection,” 30 March 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/rohingya-refugees-bangladesh-risk-covid-19-infection-200330124605721.html
- A. Alif, “Are Bangladesh’s Cramped Prisons Safe from Coronavirus?” Dhaka Tribune, 15 March 2020, https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/03/15/are-bangladesh-s-cramped-prisons-safe-from-coronavirus
