Fortify Rights Report Details Arbitrary Detention of Rohingya Refugees on Bhasan Char

Photo: New York Times

Arakan Now | 22 Jan 2026

A new report by Human rights organisation fortify Rights documents the mass arbitrary detention and "warehousing" of Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char, a remote island in Bangladesh. The refugees are survivors of genocide who fled military atrocities in Myanmar. 

The report is based on more than 100 interviews conducted over a five-year period. It finds that Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char are systematically denied freedom of movement and access to livelihoods, conditions that amount to de facto detention.

According to fortify rights, these practices violate both Bangladeshi domestic law and international human rights standards. 

The organisation calls on Governments of Bangladesh to close Bhasan Char, end refugee “warehousing,” and protect the rights and dignity of Rohingya refugees.

The full report is available here: https://bit.ly/BhasanCharReport