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US and human rights groups are calling for a full investigation after a prominent Rohingya Muslim leader was shot dead in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.
Mohibullah, who was only known by one name and was almost 40, was killed on Wednesday by unidentified gunmen in Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar.
On Thursday evening, thousands of refugees attended his funeral prayers before Mohibullah was buried in a cemetery inside the camp.
The incident comes as violence escalates in the sprawling settlement, home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees driven from neighboring Myanmar in 2017 by waves of state-sponsored violence.
Mohibullah had been an international advocate for Rohingya rights, including going to the White House for a meeting on religious freedom in 2019.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was saddened by the murder and praised Mohibullah as a courageous and fierce advocate for the rights of the Rohingya.
“We call for a full and transparent investigation into his death with the aim of holding the perpetrators of this heinous crime to account. We will honor his work by continuing to stand up for the Rohingya and make the voices of community members heard in decisions about their future, ”Blinken said in a statement Thursday.
Mohibullah’s death highlights the continuing struggles of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group long persecuted by the Myanmar government, as they face not only displacement but also threats to their security in the camps, a said Human Rights Watch.
“He has always defended the rights of the Rohingya to safe and dignified returns and to have a say in decisions about their lives and futures,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, group director for South Asia, in a statement. communicated.
“His assassination is a blatant demonstration of the risks run by those in the camps who campaign for freedom and against violence. “
The UN refugee agency condemned the attack and said it was in contact with agencies responsible for the safety of Rohingya refugees.
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“We urge the Bangladeshi authorities to undertake an immediate investigation and to hold those responsible to account,” he said.
As the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, Mohibullah painstakingly documented the testimonies of survivors in the camps. The detailed record he provided has been cited in several investigations, including one by the International Criminal Court.
He addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2019, and later that year was part of a delegation of victims of religious persecution that met with former President Donald Trump at the White House.
In his remarks to the UN Rights Council, Mohibullah said the Rohingya had faced “systematic genocide” in Myanmar, where the government denied them citizenship.
“Imagine that you have no identity, no ethnicity, no country, no one wants you,” he said. “How would you feel? This is how we feel today as a Rohingya.”
He said the Rohingya wanted to return home if they could be guaranteed citizenship and security.
“We are not stateless. Stop calling us that,” he said. “We have a state, it’s Myanmar.”
But as Mohibullah’s international profile increased, so did the number of death threats.
“All of the governments around the world who facilitated his overseas trip were well aware of the death threats he received, especially over the past 12 months,” said Eva Buzo, Mohibullah’s lawyer, in a telephone interview with NBC News.
Saad Hammadi, South Asia activist for Amnesty International, said that Mohibullah’s murder “sent a crippling effect throughout the community.”
The rights group said that since last year at least 2,000 Rohingya refugees have been forced to flee their shelters by violence between two factions vying for control of drug trafficking in the camp.
The Associated Press contributed.
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